Zombie Falls
by Livvy Mae
Summary: I have never thought I could lose everything I had to a tragic virus outbreak. The only thing that seems to be keeping me sane is my sister, Mabel. Heck, she's probably the only reason why I have any fight left in me. She is my shooting star, my gift from the world. I don't know what I'd do without her by my side...
1. Prologue

I have never thought I could lose everything I had to a tragic virus outbreak. The only thing that seems to be keeping me sane is my sister, Mabel. Heck, she's probably the only reason why I have any fight left in me. She is my shooting star, my gift from the world. I don't know what I'd do without her by my side. In an apocalyptic world, there is only one thing I need. And that's Mabel.

Or at least that's what I thought before I almost lost her. Everyday without her by my side, I felt my heart aching for her laugh. I still remember what she asked me one night.

"Do you believe in miracles?"

I wasn't so sure at the time if I did, but now I know. I do believe in miracles, thanks to my sister, Mabel. Mabel is my miracle.


	2. Stranded alone

Mabel had been sobbing for, what seemed like, weeks. Tears would come unexpectedly. Sometimes, her nightmares would make her cry while she slept.

Before we came into this mess, Mabel was able to 'meow' herself back to sleep after a nightmare. Now, she just wakes up and cries, knowing things will never be the same. She cries, knowing that we will have to live on our own now.

And to be honest, I have cried myself to sleep once, too. I made sure Mabel was fast asleep before I did. I didn't want her to see me as weak. Besides, I was the one trying to be strong for her. I was the leader in this tiny, tight group of two.

We took everything we needed in order for survival. My sister even took her knitting tools with her. She used them sometimes to calm herself down.

One day, we were walking in silence when Mabel came to a halt at a noise. Her eyes were wide. "Mom?" She muttered. "Dad?"

"They're gone, Mabel." I said, solemnly. I didn't even bother turning behind me.

Just a few months ago, the world was plunged into madness. With that, came chaos, fires, looting, and killing. I, along with my twin sister, Mabel, are considered the lucky ones. Although, I don't consider it lucky to still be alive in a literal living hell.

Every couple of days, we will get looks and stares from the other survivors, some giving us looks of pity and others giving us shocked expressions. Yes, I am aware that my sister and I have made it a couple of months in this horrible place, but I guess many kids haven't even made it a day during the outbreak.

It changes people, that virus. First, they get bitten. Second, the infected become pale and restless. Third, they stop feeling the need to care for themselves, for anyone, or for anything. Fourth, they get clumsy and stop thinking straight. Fifth, they turn completely, forgetting all their memories and abandoning their humane ways. Lastly, they infect other healthy humans by biting them. The disease takes people away, leaving nothing but an empty, lifeless soul. I should know. I've seen it happen.

I took Mabel and we ran away together. Neither of us had been bitten, but I'm not sure how much longer I can take of this. I want to be able to sleep peacefully at night without the blood on my hands. I want to be able to breathe in the air without it being suffocating. I want to be able to eat a homemade meal and have a full stomach.

All of those things we left behind. I didn't realize how much I took for granted until I left home. Everything we left behind is forgotten. And even if we really wanted to, we couldn't turn back to get them.


	3. The convenient store

Mabel wouldn't stop complaining about how her feet hurt from walking a mile and a half. When I asked her to stop, she stopped, but only to complain about the weight of her heavy backpack.

"Just a little bit further." I urged her. "We're almost there."

"Just admit it, Dipper." She said. "You don't know where we're going, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Then, where are we going?" I could sense the tiniest bit of humor in her voice and knew she was teasing me. Just that little drop of humor made me think back to the good times, the times when she used to criticize me every time I tried to be serious or a leader. She never failed to do it without making me laugh in the end.

But, today was different. I didn't even huff a laugh at her silly question. "Just trust me, I know where we're going." I said, continuing along the nonexistent path in the woods. By the way she reacted, I'm guessing she was hoping to get a smile or laugh out of me.

"Oh." She murmured, a mixture of disappointment and sadness in her voice.

Sticking to the path, we stayed together. I tried my best to look out for any stores or buildings. We were probably far away from home now, considering nothing seemed to be familiar to me. Finally, I thought I could see an opening beyond the path of the lush, green trees. There were old and rusted buildings and smashed-in windows. Many of these buildings, stores, and homes have been neglected if nobody occupied them. It was very rarely that you'd find a home lit with lanterns in the windows and actual undiseased families living inside.

Since Mabel and I constantly drift from our temporary homes, we also constantly carry baggage with us. Sometimes, survivors try to welcome us into their homes, but I tell them, "We're not looking for a place to stay."

Mabel tried to convince me one time, too, but I told her that we can't risk our lives to stay with strangers. They could have a trick up their sleeve. They could try to steal our only supplies.

"We are better off alone - with each other." I said. She nodded her head in grief and understanding.

As we walked, until the clearing began, we discovered a couple of stores. Plants sprouted through the cracks in the road and cars were littered everywhere, some turned on their sides or upside down. I looked over at a convenience store and decided to go in. The windows were shattered and they seemed to be drained of its good loot. Still, we didn't come all this way for nothing. So, I lead the way into the convenience store. The doorbell weakly rang as we entered.

"Okay, find anything and grab it." I told Mabel. "Anything at all. Water bottles, weapons, medicine, clothes, anything."

Mabel gladly went around the store aisles, grabbing pieces of candy and junk food. I, on the other hand, grabbed useful things. I stuffed my bag full with water bottles, painkillers, canned foods, and bagged chips. The store didn't have much to offer, but I was able to at least grab what I could.

All of a sudden, a booming sound and my sister's shrieking came from the aisle in front of me. Quickly packing my bag with the last can of beans, I moved on. My heart sped up fast. I could feel it beating hard in my chest.

"Mabel, was that you?" I asked, almost in a quivering whisper.

 _Was there someone else in the store? Had we stolen supplies from an unfriendly and selfish group of survivors? Was my sister in danger?_

In the next aisle, were freezers with sodas and other refrigerated things. Only one of the freezer's lights was barely able to have enough electricity to flicker on and off. It made a low humming noise as I got closer. Cautiously checking my surroundings, I felt foolish in not making sure any other survivors were here.

"Hello? Who's there?" My voice bounced off the walls as I spoke a bit louder. My eyes tried to adjust to the afternoon sunset and the darkness of the store. That's when I noticed a dark figure get up on two legs across from me in the same aisle. My heart stopped. Everything stopped. I stopped breathing. I felt my body freeze in place.

"Dipper?" The figure finally spoke out in a squeak.


	4. Where is Mabel?

My lungs sucked in air and let it out. It was just my sister. She must have fallen down from fright. But what could have given her a good scare like that?

"Are you alright?" I said. "I heard you scream."

But the girl never turned around or answered me. She was looking down at something. I decided to observe what she had found myself. I carefully and slowly trudged over, one soft footstep at a time. Finally, I saw it.

It was a body.

Mabel's eyes were full of tears and I could tell she was more frightened about the scene than I was. I kneeled down slowly next to the dead body. Whoever this person was, they were infected, alright.

I knew the body must have startled her, causing her to probably stumble over and make a bunch of noise. Ever since the outbreak hit, it seems Mabel was more afraid of being bitten than I was, considering I was able to get close to an infected, dead body. As for her, she kept her distance from the monster. Although, I couldn't blame her. This was a startling sight. I lifted my chin to look at her face. Her eyes were getting watery and her mouth began to quiver. To stop myself from doing the same, I quickly lowered my face away from her's.

"It's okay, Mabel." I reassured her, talking to the filthy tiles on the ground. "They're out of their misery now."

The body only seemed to be a few days old. Their skin was torn off, blotchy, and a slight green. Blood stained their body, especially on their head. It dripped down from a bullet hole that seemed to go right through their skull. The body wore ripped and torn clothes. On its shoulder, was a deep bite mark. I took a wild guess and assumed this person was a woman. Although, it was hard to say for sure. It stayed motionless on the ground.

I stood up, trying to stay calm. Though my body shook a little. I tried to swallow back the fear. My eyes moved to the right as they caught something glaring at me. Right by the woman's hand, was a small handheld gun. It was a Glock 19 gun and had an all-black covering. As I reached on the other side of the dead body for the gun, I kept my eyes on its open eyes as if it would come back to life and attack me. As I snatched the gun up, the woman did not make any sudden movements.

Finally turning my attention to the gun in my hand, I breathed heavily. The gun was heavy. When I held it, it made my hand feel like pressure was pulling it down a bit. I didn't dare lay any of my fingers on the trigger, worried it might go off if I accidentally moved a finger.

I got up and attempted to find a safe place to put it. I dropped my bag and placed it inside. Suddenly thinking otherwise, in a desperate situation, I might need to pull it out quicker. I didn't plan on shooting anyone at all, however, I could threaten someone with it. In my head, I couldn't help but imagine how crazy it was that I had to think like this. I have never needed to have a gun in my possession to keep myself away from trouble before. Things are different now. Now, it's crucial that a survivor needs a gun on them. You never know what could happen in this new, sick, twisted, cruel planet.

Taking out the Glock 19, I then pocketed it in my blue vest. When I raised my head, I found Mabel staring at me like I had just gone insane. I knew it disturbed her that I had just picked up a gun, but we didn't have a choice. I sighed and dropped my head, shaking it. Without saying a word, I passed by her, harshly brushing shoulders with one another. I could sense Mabel's shocked eyes on my turned back. Finally, her dragging footsteps followed behind.

At last, I pushed the doors open to the silent afternoon. I gazed upwards at all the neglected buildings, hoping to search for a place for my sister and I to stay. Right in my view, I could make out an old building. The sign, I could hardly make out. Making my way to see the building better, I ran down the street. At the same time, I dodged cars to get a closer look. With the sign in my eyesight, I read it. "Hotel Inn". It was a hotel! There must be many nice rooms and cozy beds there. Maybe we could find some more supplies, too. I kept my right hand up as protection from the sun's light.

"How do you feel about staying at a hotel?" I asked Mabel, though I already planned on heading there, anyway. Mabel did not answer.

 _Was she even listening?_

I sighed and swiveled around to find out I had been talking to myself. Mabel wasn't there.

"Mabel?" I called out into the streets and sky above me. "Mabel, where are you?"


	5. Weapons and weaknesses

I spun around back and forth. When I couldn't find my sister, I began to freak out. It seemed to be getting darker by the second. The sun set more beyond the landscape. The sky's colors melted together, a swirl of pink, orange, and yellow. I knew I only had about five minutes left until the sky fell into dark. I needed to find her.

"Mabel!?" I continued to shout her name. But all I got in response was my own voice, echoing in the distance. I panicked and searched through every corner and every abandoned car on the road when suddenly-

"Dipper!"

Her terrified scream made my ears ring and my body go stiff. It sounded as if she was right behind me. I spun around, frightened, and there she was. Except I had company - and not the friendly kind. Mabel's eyes were the first thing I saw. Her eyes were filled with fear. She was being held back by two boys. They held a pocket knife uncomfortably close to the front of her neck. By the looks of it, they seemed to be the age of their late teens. Just like my sister and I, they wore torn and dingy clothing, as well as cuts and bruises on their faces. They were survivors, alright.

I clenched my fists and teeth out of pure anger. "Let her go!" I yelled, trying to sound threatening, although my voice came out in a whine instead. Unfortunately, the boys didn't back down. Maybe they needed a bigger threat. I pulled my hand back to reach for the weapon in my vest, feeling around for it on the right side of one of the inner pockets. The short-haired, hazel-eyed boy who held the knife up to Mabel only laughed guiltily and said, "Just give me...the bag." I could see it in his eyes. These teens were just as scared as my sister was. They were filthy cowards who thought that they could survive by stealing other people's loot. Well, I didn't let it fool me for a second. I relaxed my quickened pulse and settled down.

"No" I muttered in return. My eyes followed to the boy next to him. He had blonde bangs for hair and faint blue eyes. He had stolen Mabel's bag and was aggressively rummaging through it. Like he would even _find_ anything useful in it. All Mabel carried around was a small throw blanket she knitted from home, her knitting needles, balls of yarn, and the candy she grabbed from the store. He raised his eyebrow and I could tell he was caught off guard. In his left hand, he held Mabel's bag and in the other, her knitting needles.

"Suit yourself." The hazel-eyed boy stammered. I turned my attention back to the other teen by the sound of his harsh voice. I heard Mabel squeal and witnessed the boy raise his silver, reflective knife and cut her cheek, leaving a short line of red, thick liquid...blood. I knew immediately what to do. I thought fast and reached for the cold metal of my gun that I had found in the convenience store. I held it up with my face stern and fierce. I wanted to show them I meant business. "I'm gonna ask you again, nicely. Let. Her. Go."

The weight of the gun was heavy and it was a bit of an effort to hold up. The blonde dropped Mabel's bag in terror, The bag fell to the pavement with a soft thud and the boy's eyes grew. Although, the boy who held the knife at my sister did not even flinch. He stood there with a humorous smirk growing on half of his mouth. He knew something his friend didn't. "Do it." He taunted me.

I kept still, not reacting to his simple request. He watched, like it was funny to see me internally struggle. My hands shook the gun. Finally, they gave out, dropping the gun. As my arms stayed out in front of me, the gun met the ground, teeter-tottering until it finally lay there, silent. With that done, the brunette boy with the hazel eyes, chuckled. "Pathetic." He said. "You didn't even have your finger on the trigger."

I shut my eyes tight, a light blush taking control of my cheeks. Why didn't I shoot him there? Why did I make myself appear vulnerable? If I can't protect my own sister, what's the point? What's the point of even living out here in this cruel world? I hated myself with a deep fury. This was survival of the fittest. The two boys had a better chance at making it out in this zombie-infested madness. Meanwhile, I was just a kid. I was just a little kid, lucky to even be alive. I kept my eyes closed, not wanting to stare into my sister's frightened eyes. She probably hates me for not killing these two already.

The forceful pull of my bag on my back yanked me back to reality. The brunette boy was going for my bag. He pulled it off of my back by the straps with a frantic pace. I opened my eyes, desperate to get away from him. Mabel was right in front of me, where the two boys left her. I ran towards her, relieved she was okay. In the process, I felt something hefty kick beside my shoe. Looking down at what was dropped, I realized it belonged to the brunette. Suddenly, I had an idea.

The two boys scavenged through my bag. "Holy shit." One of them mumbled with a laugh. "This kid is loaded." At that moment, I dove on top of one of them. With the brunette's knife in my hand, I used it. It impelled the brunette boy in the shoulder. He let out a yelp of pain and shock as I backed away. The blonde looked up in surprise, witnessing his friend being stabbed. I didn't even bother taking the knife out. I kept it in. "You bastard!" The brunette yelled.

I attempted to straighten up and shake off the feeling of my skin getting goosebumps. I didn't want to hurt him, but he left me no choice. No one messes with my sister and gets away with it. I wanted to help him, but I didn't. I bit my lip hard and held up my hands to my forehead in distress. Images came flashing back from a couple of months ago, before we left home. Mabel's eyes that were wide and teary, staring blankly at the ground. My parents, motionless on the kitchen floor, laying in their own bloodbaths. Mabel's hysterical screaming at me as I dropped the large, butcher knife I had found in the kitchen. "It wasn't my fault!" I remember saying. "It wasn't my fault! They were sick, Mabel! They were sick!"

My legs gave out from under me and I fell to the ground on my knees. I kept my hands on my head, feeling hot adrenaline rush through, bringing heat and sweat with it. At that second, I felt a hand drag me back up on my feet and pull me away. My eyes revealed my sister, Mabel, who was able to maintain herself and grab both of our bags. She took me away in the last bits of sun before darkness consumed us and the infected came lingering out from the shadows.


	6. Do you believe in miracles?

My mom stared out into the window above the kitchen sink. She was drained from her lively skin tone. Though she looked exhausted, her eyes seemed as if they would pop out of her head. Her knuckles turned white as she held on tight to the edge of the sink. I saw her arm twitch, making me uneasy. "Mom," I said. "What's for dinner?"

She didn't answer. She just stood where she was, ignoring me. It's been about a week and my parents were acting stranger than usual. They would forget about things, no matter how big or small it was. My mom would forget to grab the car keys before getting in the car and during the ride, she would get a bit reckless. Mabel and I were always worried if she was going to hit something. Surprisingly, she never did.

I remember when my dad was cutting vegetables in the kitchen, probably to cover up the fact that something was wrong with him. He tried to play it off as an innocent act, as if everything and everyone was fine - or maybe it was to distract himself. I wasn't so sure. It was almost as if he was in a trance that no one could wake him from. He stared down at the carrots he chopped with fury.

"Dad?" I asked in a hushed voice, afraid he was in no mood to talk.

"What do you want?" He responded in a dark, almost aggressive tone.

"Well, it's just...Mom is acting a little weird lately and..."

"Oh," He began, cutting me off. I sensed humor in his angered voice. " _Mom_ is acting weird?" He lifted up his face to look at me with an amused smile. As he did, he continued to chop, not paying attention to _what_ exactly he was doing.

"Yes...that's what I just said." I told him. He let out a hysterical laugh and chopped more violently and with a quicker pace. As he got closer to cutting one of his fingers, I warned him. "Dad, stop!"

He looked down at the carrots as if they had something to do with the fact that he was tempered. He began to yell at me as he did. " _Mom_ is acting weird! _Mom_ is acting weird! Well, maybe you should mind your own business, kid! Maybe you should be more like your sister!"

"Dad!" I said, louder, trying to get him to put down the knife. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop him. He only stopped when he hit his thumb, letting out a yelp. My dad dropped his finger and let it bleed. He let it bleed onto the kitchen floor. Cursing under his breath, he didn't acknowledge my existence. "Are you okay? You're bleeding!"

"Get away from me!" He declared, his eyes were flaming with madness. Then, at the last second, they softened, seeing my startled and innocent face. I did as I was told and left to go to my bedroom. I saw a glimpse of Mabel with her door opened a crack. Her face was poking out and her eyes stared into mine for half a second. She had heard it all. I sighed and continued into my own room, shutting the door behind me.

Daydreaming back to it all is just a painful reminder of how we both got stuck in this mess. I realized I was about to let a tear drop while my sister was in the room and I tried my hardest to force myself not to cry. This wasn't the time or place to cry. I am _not_ weak and I needed to prove that to Mabel. I sucked it up and swallowed back the tears that threatened to come.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Mabel get up on her side of the bed and close the curtains to the gigantic balcony windows. Just like I had planned, we stayed at the hotel for the night. Like usual, our walks were silent all the way up the stairs and in the hallways of the hotel. My sister then began to get settled, pulling out her blanket and putting it on the bed. She even took out the candles we carry to light up the nights. Finally being able to see a little better in the room, I realized that for the hotel bedroom, it was surprisingly clean and not ruined. The two king beds were made and everything was organized.

I lay back in the bed, looking up at the ceiling. Two different thoughts had come to mind as I lay there. First off, it had been only a couple of minutes ago that I was actually thinking about actually _killing_ someone. I couldn't help but wonder where they are now and what happened to them. Secondly, the mattress. Before we came to the hotel, Mabel and I were always sleeping - or at least trying to - on the tough, unforgiving ground of the earth. The mattress was like laying on a cloud from heaven. It had been so long since I've slept on a luxurious bed. I felt like I was going to cry. I missed my old, spoiled life.

My thoughts were interrupted by a hand waving above me as I laid on my back. "Hey, Dip." Mabel's voice muttered, breaking the silence between us.

I sat up in the bed to make eye contact with her. Her face was relaxed, but also held sorrow. On her right cheek was the red line cut from earlier. She broke off a piece from the chocolate bar she had in her hand and handed it to me without saying a word. I accepted it, considering my stomach was growling so loud, I swear, I could hear it in my ears. "Thanks." I said in a soft and quiet tone.

As I gratefully ate the convenience store candy, Mabel spoke up once more. "You...you weren't actually going to shoot them, were you?"

I swallowed the sweet and melted chocolate. It became bitter at Mabel's question. "What?" I answered back, breathing a laugh. "Are you crazy, Mabel? Of course I wasn't actually going to..." I didn't need to say more.

She nodded her head quickly, giving me the hint that she knew. "Yeah...sorry I asked."

After our silent, chocolate dinner, my sister and I tucked ourselves in. We blew out the candles for safe keeping. We didn't want to waste them. I began to close my eyes, being pretty sure that this was going to be the best sleep I've gotten in months. Just as my mind was close to sleep, Mabel whispered to me. I felt her body move and shake the bed to flip herself to her other side. "Dipper?"

I looked out in front of me at the second, empty bed that we have neglected and answered. "Yeah...I'm still awake."

"I miss home."

"I know. Me, too."

In the darkness of the room, Mabel sucked in air and then sighed, letting it all out. "Do you believe in miracles?" She asked me.

It took me a while to answer. "I don't know...but, I think it's a miracle we made it this far."

I heard her in the back of my head as she let out a chortle. "Maybe there is a miracle out there, ya' know? I believe there is a way to stop this thing that's infecting people...a cure."

"Yeah..." was all I could say before I fell into my deep, restful sleep in the comfy sheets and mattress.


	7. Just a matter of time

I came back to my senses when I heard Mabel sobbing. "Mabel." I moaned.

She was having another one of her nightmares. I rubbed my tired, achy eyes and sat up in the bed. Her cries were loud and it was very rarely that I slept through them. I looked down at her and couldn't stop the sympathy from coming. I didn't want her to continue her nightmare any longer.

"Mabel." I said. "Wake up. It's just a bad dream." I shook her shoulder gently. In the darkness of the room, I felt her suddenly jerk her body upwards in the bed, until she was sitting up, like me. As she did, she let out a terrified gasp. She inhaled air in huge gulps, but it came out in short, breathy sobs. I hushed her and pulled her into a hug. I knew she needed it. "It's okay. You're safe. You're with me. It's just a bad dream." I kept reassuring her.

As always, I cradled my sister in my arms and brushed her tangled, knotty hair with my fingers. She cried on my lap until I knew she was beginning to calm down. Reaching for my bag, I reached for a water bottle. "Here." I said, handing it to her. She gladly took it and quaffed it down until it was halfway full. I couldn't help but chuckle as she tried to catch her breath, which she had wasted on drinking too quickly. She looked up at me as if I had surprised her, probably because I did. For the past couple of days, Mabel had been trying to make me laugh-or at least snicker. I guess she was surprised her lack of breath from gulping down water would break me. She laughed hard, despite the fact she had just been crying a couple of minutes ago.

"What?" I remarked, laughing along with her. I knew she was laughing because I was, too. Mabel let out a snort from her hard laughter, which only made me laugh more. My stomach began to hurt and I knew this was the best I've felt in a very, long time. The room filled with the noise of us, chuckling.

"Stop!" Mabel pleaded. "You're making me laugh more, ya' big dork!"

As our giggling died down, I felt sleep calling me. I was exhausted, thanks to Mabel. I guess she felt the same way, considering she had fallen asleep before me.

The next morning soon came, promising more frightening events. Mabel was not lying beside me on her side of the bed. Her bag was gone, too. She took everything, even the candles that we left on the side tables. "Mabel?" I asked to the empty room. I got up, feeling my stomach becoming uneasy. My heart was beating in my ear

. If Mabel was in danger, it could be all my fault for not noticing her absence in the hotel room. I tried to stay positive and tell myself she was fine. She took her bag with her, which could be a good sign that she left voluntarily and not by force. Through every window, the sun made its appearance with bright rays of light. Finally able to take in the hotel's scenery, I found it to be quite messy. Windows were shattered, chairs and sofas were flipped or torn, and the ground was littered with papers and other debris.

During the outbreak, the FBI has been constantly on everyone's backs, searching for the infected. If they found anyone who had the symptoms of the infection, they shot them out of their own cold blood. Unfortunately for Mabel and I, they had come to our home too late. They came to our home to find us gone and two, murdered parents. I sighed, trying to get the thought of all the families being torn away from each other by a bunch of mindless, cold-hearted FBI swat teams out of my head. It's just not fair.

Why did all of this have to happen to me?

No. I shook my mind out of my daydream and began searching for my sister.

"Mabel?" I called out. In response, I got a giggly girl's voice. "Boo!" She screamed, leaping out from the corner and nearly knocking me to the ground. I let out a screech that made Mabel chuckle. "You sound like a little girl." She said.

"Do not." I proclaimed, straightening myself out, trying to act casual.

"Sure do."

"No. I don't."

"Whatever. But, hey! Look what I found!" She said, holding two separate objects in her hands - walkie-talkies.

"Woah! Where did you find these?" I asked her, taking one out of her hands to test it out. I held down the button and it gave static feedback.

"I found them behind the front counter. I'm guessing they used to belong to some security guards."

I decided to have some fun for once and took this opportunity to do so. "Dipping Sauce to Mabelton: do you copy?"

Mabel giggled and answered through her own walkie-talkie. "Mabelton to Dipping Sauce: I read you."

We both chuckled in unison. "You might want to save the battery." I said. "I don't think we will constantly need them, unless we separate. Got it?"

"You got it, Dip."

I went to reach for my bag and found it not there. "Awe, man." I said out loud. "I forgot my bag in the other room. I'll be right back. Stay close." I told my sister as I trudged back to the hotel room. Mabel wondered off, as I knew she would, being the curious girl she is. I tried to pack up and be quick so I could catch up to her. Leaving each other alone is probably one of my biggest fears in this apocalyptic earth. Without Mabel by my side, I feel unprotected - exposed. Without her, I feel scared. It's especially the most worst feeling when she somehow finds herself far from me. I fear for her safety like she is a puppy and I am her mom. She will walk away from me, without knowing it, and suddenly get a knife held to her throat. She will wonder around in a hotel lobby and suddenly get hurt.

That's the last thing I would ever want for her. She's my twin sister, afterall. Being the same age as her, having two hearts that beat as if they were one. She is the sun and I am her moon. Sure, I have my gloomy, dark moments, but, she will guide me with her light. It was and always has been that way. She has been that way ever since we were born, I guess.

"Hey! Mabel, wait up!" I called to her. I finished shoving my blanket into my bag and attempted to catch up with her. As I got into the hall, I began to wish I paid attention to which direction she had went. Swinging my bag over my shoulders, I went right, to the lobby. I suggested to stay on the fourth floor of the hotel to make sure no zombies could reach us the night before, to keep Mabel's anxiety down. Guessing she couldn't have gone far, I peeked around the corners of every room, hopefully searching for her. I continued to call her name loudly, until she answered back. When I began to worry, I shouted her name clearer and with more strength. My heart nearly burst out of my chest and I swear, I could feel sweat forming on my face. At one point, I even overheard something light fall from the staircase all the way on the other side of the hotel. The noise sounded as if someone had knocked over a bucket. I froze and listened for the sound again, to know if I had heard correctly.

Mabel's blood-chilling scream came from all the way on the other side of the building - to my left. Me, being the idiot I was, continued going in the wrong direction from where I thought she had gone - to the right. I kept mentally cursing to myself, knowing if Mabel really _was_ going to be hurt by the time I got to her, it would be all my fault. I shouldn't have left her alone. It was a bad decision in the first place. I followed her voice to where she was. "Dipper! Dipper, help! Dipper!"

"Mabel! I'm coming!" The monstrous, evil growl of the beasts, themselves, were coming from the same direction. It was the infected. No doubt about it. Mabel was in danger and had no weapon to defend herself. I ran like hell to get to her, almost tripping over my own feet from the adrenaline rush I got. All I could think was if she was even still going to be breathing if I was able to reach her in time.


	8. Keeping secrets

The moment I busted the door open was the moment I had to think without any faulty hesitation. My sister needed me. There was no time to think, so I reached for my gun and aimed it at the diseased bastard who dared get close to my sister. She was able to kick it back in its gut out of terror before I shouted with madness at it. It stumbled backwards on the stairs, but, didn't quit. It came at her a second time.

"No! Stop!" I lamely screamed at the zombie as if it could understand me and reason with me. "Stay away from her!" It spun its head up at me with a menacing moan and ran up the next flight of stairs to get to me. I could only make out some features as everything happened in a flash. Its skin was blood-splattered and mangled. It made a clumsy and stumbling effort to get to me. In the corner of my eye, I could see my sister, who was in a fetal position, pleading for it to be all over. My veins pumped hot blood, making my heart rate sky-rocket. My lungs began to take in more air to get me to calm down, though it didn't help. I could feel my legs wanting to give out beneath me, but, I didn't let them.

I scrambled for my Glock 19 in my vest and reloaded the barrel. I raised it and had no trouble pulling the trigger back. It made it easier to know that there was no human soul left inside its body. It was just another normal, everyday zombie that had taken over its host's brain. If they really were still in there, however, I was doing them a favor and ending their nonstop suffering.

The sound of the gun's cry thundered through the building.

It startled me so much, I actually dropped the gun in terror.

And that was the first time I've ever used a gun.

My ears began to ring and I could have sworn my nerves shook. I could see Mabel out of the corner of my eye with her hands covering her ears and her eyes wouldn't stop turning back and forth from every angle, well aware of her surroundings. The bullet, luckily and surprisingly, impelled the zombie in the center of its head. It fell to the ground with one last agitated gurgle and a harsh thud. The bullet had done its job. I shielded my eyes from beholding the body I had just shot down, wishing I didn't feel sympathy for a retarded zombie.

I hurried down the first flight of stairs to find tears in Mabel's eyes. She looked like she was going to have an emotional breakdown. "Are you okay?" I asked, all the words coming out at once. "It didn't get you, did it?"

Mabel clenched her teeth together and squeezed her eyes tight furiously. She remained in her fetal position and I knew she wouldn't budge anytime soon, even if I tried to get her up.

"Mabel," I spoke with anger and impatience. "Answer me! Are you hurt?!"

Again, all I got back was a hard-to-make-out whine. Tears flooded her eyes, streaming down like a river. Her cheeks were spotted with red blush from her stressful experience. I wouldn't blame her, though. I was frightened out of my mind. It was the only reason why I needed her to answer me. I needed to know she was alright. Finally, after a minute or so, Mabel nodded slightly as she laid on her side on the ground.

"Can you get up and walk?" I asked her. "We need to go now. We can't stay here much longer or the other zombies will find us."

She got up, keeping her right arm limp. I didn't think much of it, thinking she had just accidentally bumped it or something. Before, I turned my back on her to lead the way down to the first floor, she pulled me into one of our awkward sibling hugs.

"I promise, Mabel." I told her. "I'll make it all up to you. We will find a new, better place to stay in tonight. Maybe a mansion, if we're lucky. I'll raid all the nearest stores of its supplies and we will eat like kings tonight."

Mabel breathed a laugh through her sobs. "You're so cheesy...Promise?"

"Cross my heart." I told her. We finally pulled away from the hug and I stepped back to look at her. She was battered and bruised, obviously. Neither of us had been able to shower in forever and more and more dirt stains have been covering our skin. My sister looked heartbroken, but, I didn't have the time to sit and talk about it with her. We needed to move.

I began to think that taking the highway wasn't my best option. It was getting dark and we spent the day cleaning a few stores of its good loot. We made every inch in our bags count, filling the last of our bags' space with things we needed.

The highway was completely abandoned and cars were left everywhere. Trash of papers, fast food packages, and even bodies littered the ground. To walk on the highway was like trying to find my way around a maze. I had to squeeze through gaps of cars and make sure I didn't step on anyone's body. Mabel stayed close behind me. Every now and then, I'd check to see if she was still following me. She was oddly dead-silent. At one point, I saw her pull down her sweater sleeve so quick that I could have missed it. I caught her do it out of the corner of my eye and she stared at me for a second, guiltily, before turning her attention into the forest line. Her face was still red for some reason. Maybe she was still silently crying.

Suddenly, I heard her voice break through. "Hey, Dip?" Her voice croaked out in a bittersweet tone.

"Yeah?"

There was a long, lengthy pause before she said, "Nevermind."

"C'mon, Mabel. You can tell me anything. It's okay. I'm your brother...I'm always here for you, you know that?"

"Of course I do. It's just…"

"Just what?"

After that she went back to being quiet. I heard her ruffling through her bag and pull out something. She ran briefly up to me and handed me a bag of candy. Assuming, she wanted me to have them, I took them from her.

"Gummy koalas?" I exclaimed, observing them in my hands. "But, I thought you loved gummy koalas. Why are you giving them to me?" My sister was acting weird - even weirder than her usual wacky personality.

"I want you to have them." She said, almost in whisper. "I don't think I have much time to enjoy gummy koalas anymore."

I glanced up at the sun that seemed to hide itself behind the treeline, making a breathtaking sight. I could watch it forever if it wasn't for having to constantly be on the lookout for zombies. I stared back at her sorrow - filled face. Her cheeks that once were blushed with red were now really pale and flushed from color. I decided to call off the search for a new place to stay. I had broke half of my promise to Mabel, but, I don't think she cared. Maybe she knew that I was glamorizing the truth for her sake of feeling better. We stayed under a highway bridge that night.

Despite the fact it was summer, I shivered a bit. At least the hotel building had no wind current. I laid my blanket down for extra cushion against the tough cement ground. Mabel rested her head on my shoulder and curled herself up in her used-to-be-vibrant pink sweater. I began to daydream about what it would be like if I was grown up and still alive.

 _Would Mabel still be there? Will the apocalypse as we know it still exist? Would we have found a permanent place to call home? Would we still have to practically starve every night? Will it be just Mabel and I, or someone else there, too?_

If only I was a time traveler so I could find out the answers to these questions.

"Dipper, I hate this."

"What?" I was brought out of my head to Mabel's comment.

"I hate living like this! All I ever do is worry and try to...survive. I mean, when does it end? When do we finally get a break from this? Maybe there is no way out...maybe there is no miracle." While she talked, I felt a chilling and muggy breeze hit the back of my neck. "I have to always be in constant fear for my own life! I miss everything about my old life! I miss mom and dad!" She couldn't hold it back anymore. She had bursted into tears, again.

"I - I don't know what to say. I can't help it that you feel that way. But, I do, too. Believe me, I wish it didn't have to be this way. I'm sorry, Mabel."

"Good." She muttered. "You should be sorry. You did this. You caused all this."

"Mabel, have you lost your mind? What are you talking about?"

"It's because of you that we have to sleep under a bridge at night! It's because of you that we starve at night with the only food we have! It's because of you that our parents are dead! And worst of all, you had to drag me into this mess!"

Her words hit me hard. They impelled me with multiple fired bullets. "How dare you blame this all on me! You think it's my fault that our parents are dead?! Mabel, they were already dead! Couldn't you see it?! They were already gone! That wasn't our parents, anymore! If I didn't do what I did, we could have both been dead by now!"

"What you did was cruel and I will never forgive you for it!"

"I know you better than that, Mabel! You can't just _not_ forgive me! I saved your life, so you're welcome! I was the one who had to do all the heavy lifting here! I am the one who finds us the places to stay and the stores that we get our food and stupid gummy koalas from! Maybe you should thank me once in awhile, instead of complaining all the time!"

"I can't believe you! Why would I thank you?! After what you did?! You think it's okay to stab our parents in the back and then take me away on this long, useless walk! What are you trying to run from? Where are we even going? What do you want, anyway? There is no point in all of this!"

"What about survival, Mabel? You ever think about that? I'm trying to keep you safe!"

"But, I don't need you always by my side! I can fend for myself!"

"I care about you, Mabel!" I didn't realize how loud our arguing was, until I heard my voice echo through the trees and above the clouds. Silence filled the world and the trees blew swiftly, swaying in the wind. It seemed as if they had heard what I said and were giving us a sign that peace had come. I repeated myself, keeping my voice at a volume that Mabel could hear. "I care about you, Mabel. I don't want anything to happen to you. That's why I do this. I do it to keep you safe. Without you, I don't know how I would ever survive in this end of the world junk."

I finally rose my chin up to see Mabel with her eyes glistening with the words I have said. It was the most I have ever confessed to anyone. I opened up my true feelings for her to see and I knew she was glad I did. "Then, why didn't you just say so, dummy? You know I feel the same, so why wouldn't you tell me?"

She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug and I heard her utter something else. "Dipper...I have something to tell you."


	9. If you love something, set it free

"Mabel…" I could hardly get her name out without my voice getting stuck in my throat. "H-how?"

It stared at me like a nasty, angry beast. It was like the devil's true form and it was on my sister's forearm. "I know. I should have told you sooner."

"Then, why didn't you?" Oh, great. My eyes were beginning to water and my throat got clogged with tears. No way was I crying. Not now. Not here.

Her bite was disgusting. It was revolting. I couldn't even look at it without vomit rising up. I didn't know how Mabel kept herself so composed and calm. The bite marks on her arm looked viciously deep. Her skin was completely torn open and I could have sworn I saw bone. As if that wasn't enough, blood dripped down to her fingertips and the veins around her bite looked almost purple.

"We could have made it, Mabel! We were so close! We've been so careful! What happened?"

"Dipper, listen to me." She said in a serious tone, for the first time ever in her life. "This isn't your fault. This isn't anyone's fault. You can't blame yourself for something that you didn't do." I didn't know how she was holding herself together so well, considering she was the one with the greatest fear of being infected.

I turned away before my sobbing could come. "It's not fair!" I said, practically shouting. "I can't lose you! You're my sister - I can't-"

"Dipper." Mabel interrupted me. "It's okay."

"No! It's not! It's not okay! I need you!"

"You're stronger than this, Dip. You made it this far."

I shook my head, wildly. She was wrong. "No, _we_ made it this far! You can't actually be okay with this! Even I'm not!" I took off my brown star cap and pulled my hair back, revealing my Big Dipper birthmark. The air suddenly was getting humid and heated. "How did this happen?" I asked through my tears.

"Back at the hotel." Mabel began. "It was already too late when you came to save me."

"When were you planning on telling me all of this? After you turned? After you bit me, too?"

"What? No, it's not like that. I just...didn't want you to worry about me."

I stared down at the ground, unable to even stand the pain of my whole world crashing down on me. I could feel my chest burning and my head began to throb. Just as I thought it couldn't get worse, Mabel spoke again. "You've been a good brother. You did a good job at getting me this far. But, now it's my turn to protect you. I think it's best for you if I leave and go far away from you."

"No. Stop." I told her as I shook my head again, more vigorously. "Mabel, stop! You can't do this!"

"No, I have to. I don't trust what I'd do to you if I _did_ stay. And do yourself a favor and don't follow me."

"Please," I begged her. "Don't do this to me."

"I have to. Goodbye, Dip. Thanks for everything." Mabel began to pack up her things and walk away and head back the same direction we had come. The sun was now completely hidden and the clouds had stayed. We had walked for at least two or three miles from the hotel to the highway. It was going to take Mabel a while to get back to civilization. I don't think it mattered to her, anyhow. She just wanted to keep me safe from her.

As she walked away, I remembered the walkie-talkie she gave me. I frantically searched my bag for it, until I finally pulled it out and pushed down the button. "Dipping Sauce to Mabelton? Are you there?"

Mabel came to a halt and glanced down at the walkie-talkie in her hand. Without turning around, she responded back. "Mabelton to Dipping Sauce?"

"I know you make it a hobby to always make fun out of me in a sibling way, but, I just want you to know...as your brother...I really do love you."

Mabel spun around to face me now. I could see it from here. Her eyes were like burning stars. Then, she dropped her bag and ran up to me with a heavy heart and arms wide open. I stood there, my own arms waiting for her hug. Of course, we were both trying our best to hold back our cries, but, we both couldn't hold it in.

"I love you, too." She mumbled. Our hug must have lasted too many minutes, since I got tired of standing. At last, we pulled away. Our hug had descended into hand holding, which then turned into her turned back.

I watched her walk away and pick up her bag along the way. After that, she slowly got more farther away, until I couldn't make out her figure. Not once she turned back. She didn't even bother looking back at me. Meanwhile, the rain came from the clouds above.


	10. Just a dream

Her long, brown hair drooped in her face and she wore a light green headband that matched her skirt, which was the same exact color. She had a vibrant pink sweater, too. Everything about her was clear and vivid, except for one thing. Her face appeared too blurry for me to make out. I didn't know who this was, but, my heart felt broken from just the sight of her. Suddenly, before I knew it, my voice spoke her name. "Mabel?"

Her image became more clear and I could finally see her face with more clarity. Though she did wear a smile, it was a wicked, crooked, one. With that, the white abyss around us disappeared and drowned into a dark, bloody color. She finally lifted her chin to stare at me, her eyes were a light grey. She aggressively dug her nails into my arms as she grabbed me. "Look what you did!"

All I could do was stand there and I wanted to run so bad. I opened my mouth to say something, but realized I couldn't. My voice was gone. I couldn't say anything, even if I really wanted to. "Look at what you did to me, Dipper!" She hollered in an unstable, shaky voice. It echoed in my head and continued on through the dark abyss. "How could you do this to me?!" She continued to shout. She didn't make it clear to me what I had done, but, I had a feeling she was talking about her infection. She began to shake me as she kept staring at me. I witnessed her hysterical laughter as she yelled. She was both maddened and laughing at me.

At last, my body let me move again and I glanced down at my clenched fists, realizing they were drenched in blood. I raised my head again and Mabel was being dragged by multiple pairs of evil, long-fingered, sharp hands. She was screaming out of terror and I suddenly heard the thumping of my heart exploding in my chest. "Dipper, help! Help me!" I began to panic and could feel my lungs burning and heaving for air. Sweat began to creep in as well.

The hands dragged her until they got to a visible, wooden door. I chased after them, which, for some reason, was extremely difficult. "No, Mabel!" I pleaded. "Come back! Please!"

The door slammed shut and a lock on the door's knob clicked it shut. I didn't stop running, but, got nowhere. I was jogging in place. Either that, or the door was becoming smaller and smaller, until it disappeared out of sight. "Mabel! I'm coming for you! I promise!" My voice hadn't echoed as her voice did and I wondered if she had heard me.

As if I thought it couldn't get any worse, two adults had appeared from the dark, red, endless abyss. One was a woman and the other was a man. They looked like a couple, due to how close they stood next to each other. Unlike Mabel's expressive face, they remained emotionless. They stared down at me as they formally walked up to me, drawing nearer and nearer. Also, unlike Mabel, they were silent. With every threatening step that they got closer to me, I backed up another step. That's when I found out who they were. Their faces were blurry, but, I could still recognize them.

"Mom. Dad."

They didn't respond, though I knew it was them. Suddenly, they stopped as I was about to fall off the edge of the abyss. I peered over my shoulder to find I had met the beginning of my impending doom. "Mom! Dad! I - I'm so sorry and...I - I miss you guys so much! Please, listen to me!"

At that moment, they rose one of their arms in perfect sync and pushed me off the edge. With that, I fell. I fell as I heard my cry of painful and utter fear echo. I fell deeper and deeper, until, I hit the bottom. Though, I didn't feel any pain, I did feel my body jolt upwards and found myself under the bridge where I fell asleep. My face was wet with the tears I had cried while I was sleeping. My breathing was heavy, like Mabel's the night when I woke her up from her nightmare. I suddenly felt empathy and sympathy for her. Somewhere out there, was an infected girl who was going through these same dreams. I had no idea that this is what she went through almost every single night.

Once I was able to catch my breath and get my heart to relax, I made out a rustle in the woods. I froze in place and waited for another sound. Silently and cautiously, I reached for the gun I kept close to me. From ten feet away, I saw a shadow. In the light of the moon, the creature made a low growl and stumbled as it walked. My gun made a 'click' as I pulled it back to reload another bullet. The zombie let out a louder, angry moan. I knew it heard me and I didn't care. It ran clumsily towards the direction of the sound, excited.

"Yeah," I shouted at it, intimidating it. "That's right! I'm over here! Come get me, you, infected piece of -" That's when I fired my gun. The booming sound of the bullets being shot, interrupted the rest of my sentence. I fired it a number of times, even after the zombie had fallen to the ground.

After six bullets fired, the gun's trigger stopped pulling back. I had wasted my bullets. The zombie had fallen on its back and continued to holler. My ears were still recovering from the sound of the gun. I ran up to the zombie and struck it numerous times in the head with my gun. My heart was pumping fast and the blood in my veins began flowing at a much quicker pace. I sat on top of its chest, showing no fear and repeated to hit it with the handle of my gun, until its skull was crushed and its brain bled. Even after its last whine, I continued to hit it with fire burning in my eyes and all throughout my body. With the fire, came tears of the memory of Mabel and her ugly bite.

"How dare you take her away from me! She was all I had left! It's all your fault! It's all your fault!" I screamed with pure maddening anger. I screamed, until my lungs were sore and my head began to ache. I laid down next to its body and finally sighed from exhaustion. That's when I heard the girl's voice comment.

"You, too, huh?"


	11. A new friend

The voice was a teenage girl's. Sure, her voice wasn't like my sister's sweet and gentle voice, but, it was definitely one-of-a-kind. It sounded as rough as sandpaper, however, that didn't mean her voice wasn't gentle. I heard the sympathy in the way she talked. Up above me, relaxing her body and leaning on the edge of the bridge, was a tall, thin teen. She had long, shoulder-length, bright, purple-dyed hair that was up in a perfect ponytail and bangs that fell in her face. She wore a grey beanie and a regular black sweater over her dirty white spaghetti-strapped shirt. She had on ripped, dark skinny jeans and black, knee-high converse boots with white laces. I would be lying if I said she wasn't pretty.

Despite the fact I hadn't seen another survivor in a few days, I had no interest in talking to her. "Leave me alone...please?" I said, rubbing my nose and sniffling back tears.

For a couple of seconds, she stayed quiet. Then, she said, "I get it. That was me when I lost my only family. My mom and step dad, actually. But, the point is...you can't just shut the whole world out, kid."

"I just don't trust anyone. For all I know, you could just want to kill me or something."

"But, when you do, you miss the chance of meeting other people - good people who won't want to kill you. Look, I know it seems tough right now, but, you're only making it harder on yourself by doing what you're doing."

I rubbed my arm and stared down at the ground where the zombie I had just slaughtered lay. Finally, I answered her back. I raised my voice, so she could hear me from where she stood. "You know a lot for just a teenager. What's your name, anyway?"

"My name's Piper. What's your's?"

"Dipper." That's when I realized what she had said before. "Hey, how did you know I lost my family?"

She huffed a laugh. "C'mon, man! Everyone here has lost someone close to them. I know how you feel. I felt what you're going through, too. Why don't you come up here so I don't have to keep shouting to answer you?"

At first, I hesitated. Then, she spoke up again. "What are you scared of? I just want your stuff and to shoot you." Piper cracked up and then, reassured me. "Seriously, though. I'm not gonna bite. Come on up. I'll give you a ride to the nearest exit."

"Ride?"

"Yeah. My old car still works. She's just a bit scratched up and broke, but, she's a fighter. Runs just fine." She pulled out her car keys and flashed them to me. "What do ya' say, Dipper?"

With that, I put my faith in Piper. She told me I had no good reason to _not_ trust her. She drove me into town, while I told her what happened earlier. I sat next to her in the passenger's seat and looked out the window. To get around, Piper had to drive off the road to dodge other vehicles. As she drove, I told my story. "That night, she told me she was bitten and left to keep me safe from her. That's when I found you."

"Damn." She mumbled. "That's harsh. I don't know what to say. I'm sorry, Dip."

Her instant nickname for me gave me shivers. Mabel used to call me Dip. Not anyone else. Only _Mabel_ was allowed to call me Dip. "Dipper." I corrected her. "It's just Dipper." The way she said it so casually, like we have been close friends for our whole lives gave me an unsettling feeling in my gut.

"Oh, right. Sorry - again." At moments when the cars stopped blocking the road, Piper would get back on it. Every time, they started again, she would turn off the road. The silence only settled for a few seconds before she decided to begin the small talk a second time. "What kind of name is Dipper, anyway?"

I cleared my throat, before I answered. "Piper?" I snickered.

"Touché." She chuckled back. "So, is there a reason for your name?"

"Uh, actually, it's a birthmark I have." I took off my hat and lifted the bangs of hair to reveal my Big Dipper birthmark that was plastered on my forehead. "I started hiding it after people made fun of it all the time."

She took a second and glanced over at me to see it for herself, then, quickly turned her eyes to the road. A smile grew on her face. Then, she unexpectedly changed the topic on me. "I must say, kid. You got some guts sleeping outside. I'd like to think that you made it this far without doing something as dumb as that."

"Oh, yeah. I guess that was pretty stupid on my part." I said. I looked out my side window and saw a sign that read "Welcome to Oregon."

"What the?" I said, lifting my head off of my hand that supported it. "Oregon? But - that can't be possible!" I tried to turn my head to look behind me at the sign as we passed it. We couldn't be in Oregon! It was too far away from where Mabel and I use to live.

"Why is that?" Piper asked.

"That's crazy! My sister and I, we live back in California! We live in Piedmont!" I let out a small hysterical laugh before going on. "I can't believe we've been walking away so far from home!"

"Piedmont?" Piper repeated as if she had never heard of such a place in her entire life. She made a face as she kept her eyes on the now-free-from-cars road. She continued to repeat the name as if trying to recall if she had ever heard it. Finally, she said, "Nope. Doesn't ring any bells."

I sighed. "It's close to San Francisco."

"What?! Man, you're a long way from home, huh?"

"Yeah." I muttered. "Guess so."

All of a sudden, the car's engine failed. It slowed to a stop and Piper gave an irritated moan. "That's just great." She complained. Quickly changing the subject, she said, "I'll be right back." She took out the keys and tossed them at me, at which I reacted by fumbling to catch them.

"Where are you going?" I questioned her.

She leaned her arm over the top of the car and poked her head inside the car. She kept her other arm draped over her open driver's seat door. She managed to look relaxed and comfortable as she did so. "I'm gonna go check under the hood. When I tell you to, I need you to restart the car."

I awkwardly nodded like an idiot and slid over to the driver's seat, waiting for her instructions. I watched her lift the red-painted hood of the front of the car and peek inside. After some minutes of sitting, I asked, "Hey, uh, is everything okay?"

"I don't see a problem. Dipper, can you try the key now?"

I did as she had requested and put the key into the slot and twisted it to the right. The car let out a groan of life, only to be silenced again.

"One more time, please?" I heard her raised voice say over the sound of the engine. Once again, I turned the key in the ignition with no such luck. At last, Piper came back to talk to me. "Well, looks like we're stuck here for the long run." She said. "The battery is dead. We have to stay here for a while and steal some battery power from the other cars."

Keeping her actions cool and casual, she began to go to the trunk of her car to grab battery connectors. As she made her way back to the front, I just had to ask her, "How do you know so much about cars?"

"Oh, my step-dad used to be a car salesman. He used to teach me _everything_ when it came to cars. He taught me how to change a flat tire, recharge a battery, and even hotwire a car. Thanks to him, I realized I wanted to work with cars for a living. I was pretty close to getting out of high school and graduating, too. But," She looked up at sky and let out a breathy, yet, short sigh. "The world apparently had plans for me, as well. I mean, who would have guessed we'd all be fighting for our lives one day?"

"Heh, yeah." I lamely exclaimed in awe. Piper surprisingly was very smart. It almost seemed as if she was fine with accepting this dreadful, devastating, zombie apocalypse. I tried to say something that would make me sound at her level, however, all that came out was, "My dad used to work with computers." A slight smile came across my face and left just as fast as it appeared. "He's...gone now." I wasn't planning on telling her anymore about my past life. It was in the past, afterall. It's been done and there is nothing I can do to make it better.

I couldn't stop the flood of guilt from washing over me, so I let it come. I squeezed my eyes tight shut and felt a little blush bloom on my cheeks. Of course, I did feel responsible for killing my own parents, but, I did it out of self-defense. Self-defense or not, unfortunately, I was still going to have this guilt that creeped up on me from time to time. Gosh, if only they were still with me. I wouldn't have to deal with being lost in another state right now, or even the loss of my twin sister who was infected.

Getting deep in thought, I noticed Piper had been staring at me. When I looked up at her, she stared at the ground to avoid eye contact. She went back to working without saying anything. I knew she understood me, but didn't know what to say. I found myself slowly progressing back inside the car while Piper proceeded to do her thing. With a car that was conveniently close, she connected its battery to her own. After that, she came back into the car and settled in. She adjusted her beanie, so it didn't fall off her head and rested the back of her head on her hands. She closed her eyes, too.

"What now?" I asked.

"Now," She breathed with exhaustion. "We just wait."


	12. Driving lessons

Piper said to wait, yet I am still waiting. With every second that goes by, I find myself wanting Mabel more than ever. Sure, I have Piper now, but she and I will never share what Mabel and I had. My sister had a special bond with me. She was always there when I needed her and I was always there for her. I would be the one to talk to her and calm her. I was always there to let her cry on my lap after a nightmare. She told me almost everything all the time - how she felt and deep, personal things she would never tell anyone else.

There was no way I was ever going to be that close with anyone else, even if was Piper. Every day, every week that passes me by without me knowing is like watching me grow more insane. I didn't even know if she was still alive and if she was, she will never be the same. She becomes just another walking, mindless, dead soul, probably too weak to fight and becomes trapped inside herself with no escape… just like everyone else who got infected.

I sat in a tiny, rundown diner almost in the middle of nowhere. Piper and I found it as we tried driving further in Oregon. She decided to stop and see if the gas station in front of the diner still worked. I told her I'd be inside to go look for supplies, but the truth was I needed a break. I needed some privacy to breathe and think everything over.

I day dreamed out the diner window, wishing Mabel was here with me. She always did say that she liked tiny and cute diners. She would always grab the spoon and put it over her nose. Also, she would take the sugar packets for the coffee and eat them, one-by-one. She also liked starting conversations with the old people who sat behind her for some odd reason.

I guess she enjoyed hearing their long, timey, folksy, stories of when they were younger. That didn't bother the senior citizens, however. In fact, they loved Mabel's cuteness and charisma. Gosh, I miss her like hell. If she were still with me, I would tell her everything that I forgot to tell her and how much it hurts when she's gone. I'd tell her to never leave me alone ever again. I'd tell her _everything_.

I felt them ride up from my gut and drip out of my eyes. My breath became shortened by my cry. I put my head and arms down on the table. Minutes later, I heard the doorbell above the door jingle. I lifted my head, although was kind of hoping it was Mabel. Unfortunately, it was just Piper.

"Hey, Dipper. They have ga-" She stopped and took a good look at my reddened, teary face. "Are you alright?" She approached me with a gentle manner, yet, kept her distance between us. Piper sat down at the same table, across from me. "I'm fine." I said with a shaky voice. I rubbed away my tears and did my best to avoid eye contact. Instead of looking at her, I turned my focus to the cracked, dirt-covered window.

"Hey, don't be like that. Tell me. I'm here for you."

"No, really. It's nothing. I just...miss my sister. That's all."

Piper frowned. Then, her smile came. "How about we go do something fun. C'mon, man! Let's go be kids for once! Let's pretend...we have nothing to worry about - no apocalypse will take our humanity that easily! Let's go show the world we can still have a good time." While, she spoke, she spoke with excitement rising in her voice.

"What? How do you think we could do that?" I sniffled.

"Lemme ask you something, man. Have you ever driven a car before?" She held up her keys, hanging them on a single finger.

"A car?" I asked.

"Yeah! C'mon!" She took my arm and forcefully grabbed me out of my seat, pulling me unwillingly out the door. "I'm going to teach you how to have some fun and not worry about everything all the time." At that point, she had me running to her car. I witnessed her almost stumble to the ground and couldn't help a laugh from escaping my throat. The way she acted like a child made it extremely difficult _not_ to laugh.

The sunlight made Piper's purple hair glisten and her smile, radiant. Though, her appearance was perfection, her running was not as graceful. She swung her driver's seat door open and hustled me inside. She gave me the keys and slammed the door shut. I saw her through the windshield as she skipped over to the passenger's side. I even heard her squeal. I knew she was eager to show me how to drive and I didn't want to ruin it. But for the first time in a couple of weeks, I was smiling. She practically leaped into the other seat and closed the door hard. She clapped her hands with a big, dumb grin on her face. "Well, what are you waiting for, dude?! Start up the car!"

I twisted the key into the ignition and the engine roared awake. "Alright! Now we're talkin'!" I didn't realize it at the moment, but, Piper was just the beginning of my life being turned around.


	13. Life is like a road

Trying to step on the pedal was more difficult than I thought it was going to be. For one thing, I was too short. I couldn't reach. Piper suggested adjusting the seat so it was closer. I did so, though, I was still a few centimeters short from laying a toe on the pedal. If I sunk more down to reach it, I wouldn't even be able to look up at the road in front of me. I was worried if I did end up driving blindly, then, I would hit something. I could at least see what was above me, like the electricity poles and a water tower. The sky beyond them was a perfect blue with fluffy, white clouds that reminded me of cotton candy. I took a deep breath in and a deep breath out before trying again.

I felt for the pedal, trying to keep my vision of the paved road and tiny shrubs in sight. It wasn't until the car started proceeding forward that I knew I had succeeded. Piper stayed silent and let me try to figure it out for myself. Startled by the sudden force of the car, I took my foot off of the gas. I turned to Piper and she hadn't kept her eyes off of me. Then, she said something I'd carry and hold onto for the rest of my life. "Keep your eyes on the road, Dipper." She wore a serious face. "Don't look back at the road behind you. Always look forward to the road ahead of you."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Life, Dipper. Life is like a road. Sure, you have your bumps and potholes in it, but, you can always keep driving and moving forward. Don't let anything get the best of you. Keep your eyes on the road and don't look back. Don't look through your rear view mirror." She breathed a laugh and a smile had bloomed on her face. She looked out into the scenery in front of us, through the windshield. "Because those people behind you - they're just trying to get to their destination, too. And who knows what you'll experience along the way. Maybe, you'll find a red light. Maybe you'll find that light to be green. Or maybe, you'll find that light to be yellow, warning you to slow down and take things easy."

I snickered. "When did you get all poetic on me?"

"Well, hey, it's true!" She said, chuckling. "But, in the end, the most important part about that road...is the driver. The driver is the one who makes the decisions and which turns to take. Some turns are better than others, y'know? Now, go ahead. Hit the gas, again. But, this time, _really_ hit it."

So, I did. Surprisingly, I was able to keep my foot on the gas and see the road ahead of me. It was like I had finally awoken because of Piper's motivational words. She gave me the hope to keep driving - to carry on. I stepped on the gas, while Piper let out a victory howl.

The sun was beginning to set along the flat surface of the ground and I could see the moon on the other side of where the sun set. It was a crescent, eagerly wanting to take up the descending night sky. The summer air blew swiftly in my face as I rested my chin on my arm, laying my head out the open passenger's seat window. Piper had shown me a wild ride that day - literally. It wasn't until I was done having my fun that I let her take the wheel, again. Then, a single thought reached my mind and disappeared.

 _If only Mabel could see me, now._

I realized how lucky I was that I found Piper. I had found a friend - a friend that will help guide the way for me. She was a friend that I knew was actually ready to take on the end-of-the-world with me. Though, I have found Piper, I will _never_ forget Mabel.


	14. I need you

"Dipper." Piper's voice rang through my consciousness. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We gotta long drive ahead of us."

"What?" I groaned, stretching my muscles in the back of the car. I had my body curled up in the row of seats behind the driver's seat. I felt something get thrown at me and land on my stomach. Piper had casually tossed a granola bar at me. My eyes were still trying to adjust to the morning light and I blinked away my blurry vision. Then, I heard the glorious sound of a soda can being clicked open. The fizz of the mouth-watering drink made me notice how dry my tongue was. I got up and fixed my blanket so it didn't fall to the floor of the car. Piper had completely woken me up and gotten my attention.

Piper took a sip of what-looked-like Pit Cola and passed it to me. With her mouth filled with food, she said, "Want some?"

I snatched it out of her hand so quick, I startled her. She turned her head to the back seat and a queer smile was on her lips. "Woah." She said. I was chugging down the whole can. "Hey, pace yourself." She reached her arm out to me, motioning for me to give it back. I did. She shook the soda to test how much of the drink was left and commented. "You really were thirsty. You drank half of the thing."

"Sorry." I said, rubbing my chin from some of it that dripped down. "I can't believe it's been months since I drank soda. How did you even manage to find soda?"

Piper huffed. "I don't know. I just did, I guess." By this point, Piper had already started the car and was driving down the dirt road. "Anyway, buckle up and eat. This'll be our last stop for a while."

"Wait, where are we going, exactly?" I asked her.

"To the warehouse camp."

"Warehouse camp?" I repeated.

"Yeah. In Oregon, there is a warehouse camp where they let survivors stay and-"

"What?!" I had caught Piper off guard. I saw her fix her eyes on me from the rear view mirror and turn them back to the road. "Piper, you're taking me to a survivors' camp?"

"What's wrong with that? We go there, and there will be food and other people and guards and-and-"

"No." I announced with no feeling. "Stop the car. I'm getting out."

"Dipper-"

"No, I said, 'stop'!"

Piper did as I told her to. She slammed on the brakes, sending my body to jerk forward a bit. I shoved everything in my bag and got out. Piper took off her seat belt and got out of the car, as well. Either she was really tall or her car was short because she was able to rest her arms over the roof of the car. "I can't believe you!" I said, turning to her. She kept a composed face.

"Well, I can't believe you, Dipper." She said.

"A survivors' camp? Really? I don't need help, here. I thought you were my friend."

"Of course I am. Why would you even think otherwise?"

"You know I don't trust anyone else. I'm not going to some _camp_ just so I can-can be taken care of. I mean, I can take care of myself. I don't need some retarded camp to give me help I don't need."

"Do you even hear how ridiculous you sound? Now, get back in the car."

"Bye, Piper." I said, stubbornly. I turned my back on her and began walking away. After a few seconds, I was brought to a halt by her voice.

"Dipper! C'mon, man! You think you know what's best for you, but, you don't. I'm trying to help you…"

"That's exactly it." I said, spinning around, again. "I don't _need_ help! I don't need help from you or anyone else!"

"Listen to me, kid. If you walk away from me, you will _die_ out there. I am goddamn sure of that. If I let you walk away and do that, I will never forgive myself. Dipper, you are the only friend I have left…" I could have sworn I saw a tear shed and drip down her cheek. Her voice was getting a little shaky, too. "If I couldn't save my mom, or my step dad, then, I at least want to save you. And I know that is how you feel, too. I know you know that you need me more than you trick yourself into thinking. Please. I need you."

Those three words stung when she said them. _I need you._ They were the three words I had said to Mabel before she left me. Right then, I knew how Piper felt. I knew she felt what I had went through when I said it to Mabel. It was the feeling of hurt and desperation. I couldn't leave her like that. _How could I leave someone who said that?_

Piper had found my weakness and I noticed my legs were moving back to her car and my hand reached for the door handle.


	15. Her

Piper was right. The trip was long and unbearing. She even had to stop to fill the tank with more gas from the trunk. When she got back into the driver's seat, I just had to ask her, "How did you know there was a survivors' camp?"

"After the outbreak, the government went crazy and searched out the last survivors. They broke into homes and took anyone who wasn't infected. The FBI came from everywhere. They broke down my family's door and tore me away from my mom and step dad. They said they were infected with the virus. They said I wasn't allowed to even touch them because they were so paranoid. Some of them arrived in quarantine suits, some came with bulletproof vests and shotguns." She dropped her head in sorrow and shook her head. "They didn't even let me say goodbye. It wasn't until I got into the back of the government car that I heard two gunshots go off in my own home...my parents were gone that afternoon." She took a deep breath to relax herself.

"Piper…" I said, understanding exactly how she was feeling. "I-I'm so sorry. You don't have to say anymore."

But, she did, anyway. "The infected stays behind, Dipper. The survivors get to go far away into a camp. The infected are the ones who are left behind and forgotten, while the others are given the chance to live on and suffer. Ya' know what the worst part was?"

"Piper, please. Stop it." I cautioned her.

Neglecting my request, she went on. "The worst part of it all was my parents didn't even know! They didn't know they were infected! They had no freakin' idea!" I sensed a bit of humor and disgust in her tone of voice.

"Piper! Cut it out!"

I watched her as she laid her hands and head on the steering wheel and stay that way for a moment. I could hear her sobbing. It was a little awkward to see this side of her. Besides, I always saw her as strong and able to face her fears head-on. After she had calmed herself, she lifted her head back up. "Sorry about that." She mumbled. "You have no idea how long I needed to get that off my chest." She let out a few more tears and I saw her chest rise and fall unevenly. I dropped my head, not sure what I should say, so I didn't.

Piper continued to drive and after three hours, she had finally stopped the car. "We're here." She said, making it sound bittersweet. She parked in front of the most tallest, chunkiest, rustiest iron gates that I have ever seen in my life. The gates had to be at least ten times my height, or taller. Even staring up at them, made my head dizzy.

Silence filled the air and if it wasn't quiet enough, I could have missed it. My walkie-talkie was sending static feedback. A girl's voice was barely able to break through it. "...Dipper?"

Immediately, I scrambled for the walkie-talkie in my bag. I had buried it under my blanket, which muffled the speaker. I only pulled it halfway out before I started to think otherwise. Mabel was gone. The sound of the walkie-talkie could have just been a glitch. Or maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me. It wasn't until I heard the voice again that I actually responded back. "Dipper? ...Are you there?"

"Mabel?! Mabel, is that you? C'mon, say something! Let me hear you! Let me hear your voice…"

But, alas, no one had answered me. The walkie-talkie went mute. I began to wonder if I was just losing it. I was just too attached to Mabel and it was hard for me to move on without her. She was gone, though. I can't do anything about it. She was gone and I was never going to see her again. I tossed the walkie-talkie on my bag carelessly and sighed. Piper was watching me the whole time. "C'mon, Dipper. Let's go get some fresh air and check out the camp." I followed her out of the car, swinging my bag over my back.

Then, all at once, I heard shotguns being locked and loaded. Men were shouting, too. I followed Piper up to the two iron gates and couldn't help, but, gaze up at the sky-high gates. Alongside the gates were attached guarding towers. It took me a second to recognize them, but, there were men running high above us in solid black FBI uniforms. They scurried along the paths of the towers above us, getting in their positions. They had their guns all pointed at us. "Stay back!" One of them yelled. "Make another move and we will shoot!"

"Surrender and drop your weapons!" Another one ordered, loudly. Piper was the first one to pull out her pocket knife and drop it. I hesitated, at first. Then, I decided to pull out my Glock 19 and drop it next to her's on the ground. "Now, kick it away from you!" The same man instructed us. We obeyed, putting our arms up to show them we surrender. I looked up at Piper's relaxed face and saw no signs of fear from her. _How was she doing that?_ I could practically _feel_ my legs wanting to give up on me. As if she had been reading my mind, Piper said to me, "Don't worry. They do this every time. They won't actually shoot us, it's just protocol. Plus, they know me."

"Know you?" I copied.

"Stand down, soldiers! It's just Piper! I trust her! Let them in!" A woman's strict voice roared in. I stared back up to the gate's pathway to discover a woman who was dressed just like the guards and had dirty blonde hair that was held up in a tight bun. The men ran towards the gates' levers, preparing to let us in. The iron gates simultaneously yawned open with a low groan. The doors slowly revealed a wide, yet, old and aged warehouse. Inside were more government guards with thick, all-black guns. Piper picked up her pocket knife and put it back in her boot. I copied her actions, picking up my gun before I entered the gates. The woman with the bun met us down. She climbed down the stairs that led to the sky-scraping gates' pathway.

"Hello, Piper." the woman greeted. "Nice to see you back alive and well. Who's your new friend?"

She approached us in a calm manner. Finally able to see her eyes up close, I found friendliness and no coldness. I knew right away that she meant us no harm. On her lips, she opened them and formed a white-teethed smile. She rested her hands on her hips.

"This is Dipper. I found him wandering the highway."

The woman laughed, probably amused by my name. She then turned to me with her bright, happy face and said, "Dipper, huh? Well, welcome, kid. You have no idea how lucky you are!" She put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a single shake. I took it that she meant I was lucky to be alive. "How old are you, Dipper?"

"Twelve." I answered, dully.

I saw her mouth the word, "wow" and stood up. She remained looking down at my face. "Oh, I'm Chief Vicky. If you need anything, I'm here." With that, she walked off. After, a pair of guards came up to Piper and I. They patted us down and lifted our sleeves and shirts. Piper told me they were just checking for zombie bites. We were both clean.

They led us into the iron building. Some windows were shattered and some remain intact, but, with dirt smudges that were very noticeable. However, there was more to see on the inside, rather than the outside. Survivors were everywhere. I even heard a baby crying. It was shocking to see these many survivors. They took up every corner of the room and they each had their own beds. The warehouse's ceiling was high up, but, not as high as the gates. The building, itself, had to be at least three stories high. The survivors stayed on the ground level. Piper, knowing her way around, gave me a tour. As we walked past the crowd, I heard people gasping with joy and happy to see Piper back. "You sure are popular here." I said.

"Oh, yeah." She stated over her shoulder as she kept trudging over to a door on the other side of the warehouse. "I've been living here ever since I could remember. I have seen many people come through that door many times before." She pointed to the double doors that we had just entered through with her thumb.

Out of the corner of my eye, were gaping cracks in the ceiling and birds could be seen fluttering in from the outside. They were the type of summer birds who would tweet and chirp and sing a melodious tune of their species. They seemed to like to rest inside of the warehouse and sit on the wooden boards that held up the ceiling. The sun shone clearly through the windows and reflected onto the warehouse's rusty, worn ground. As she led me out to the other room, I discovered even more survivors. The only thing that was different about this room, was that there were more beds set up and less people. Also, the noise level had calmed. "Well," Piper began. "Go on. Pick a bed and get yourself settled in. I'll be right back. I'm gonna go talk to Vicky for a sec'." She left, going out the same door we came in.

I was left alone, unpacking my belongings onto my bed. I put my walkie-talkie into a drawer that had a tiny lamp sitting on the side table. I tried to keep myself busy and not catch the stares of the eyes on my back. I could tell even the smallest child had their eyes on me. I didn't realize it was a big deal to witness another survivor come in. Maybe it was the fact I was just a kid. The thing I didn't expect was something rubbing up against my ankle and sniffing me. I peered down to find it was a long-haired golden retriever. "Hey, there." I muttered to the dog. Her stared up at me with his friendly eyes and wagged his bushy tail back and forth. His ears went back and he stuck his tongue out, panting. He seemed well-trained and knew when to keep his distance and sit, patiently waiting for me to pet him. I kneeled down gently and began scratching him behind the ears. I guess he was the only one brave enough to approach a newbie. Underneath his beautifully blonde coat was a red collar. On it, were four letters that spelled 'Cody'. "Your name is Cody?"

By this point, people were grinning, noticing that I was kind and didn't mind the attention. A little boy about a quarter of my size came up to me and began petting Cody, too. I gave him a warm smile and he did the same back. "This is the camp's dog. His owner is gone, now, so the survivors take care of him."

I huffed a laugh, then, the boy asked, "What's your name?"

"Dipper."

"...That's a weird name."

"Yeah, so I've been told. What's your name?"

"I'm Zack." He said. I looked at him, seeing myself. He had my hair, but, with a blushed face. He had a bit of freckles, as well. "So, is it just you?"

"Yeah." I sighed.

"Where's your family?" His voice sounded upset. My quietness told him they weren't going to show up anytime soon.

"Zack?" A woman's voice called from across the room. I looked up to see, who I thought was, his mom. She held out her hand, telling Zack to come with her and leave me alone. He took his little hand and wrapped it in her hand and walked back to their side of the room. He made one more quick, solemn peer over his shoulder before turning away again.

Cody stayed, but, not for long. I stared at him as he got up, did a complete twirl around the spot he had just sat on, and sat there once more. It wasn't long before his playful mood faded and he trotted away from me. When nobody gave him attention, he proceeded to find a comfy, empty area and lay down. Every time someone or something moved, his eyes and ears would follow the direction of the happening, though would only keep him occupied for a few seconds.

I laid on my back on the bed and beholded the ceiling above me. That's when I began to worry. Piper hadn't been back in a while. Where was she? I sat up and tried to keep it casual as I trudged to the door. Sure enough, nearly everyone's head turned to me. I tilted my hat a bit more towards my face to hide the eyes that fell on me. Pushing the door open, I wished deeply it hadn't screeched. How could anyone _not_ miss that?

"Piper?" I called to the hallway. The walls were built out of cement and bricks. The warehouse wasn't in its best shape. It had many flaws like graffiti on the walls, some nonsense words that included, 'style' and 'live hard' and 'envy'. They all were made into bubble letters that were squished together. I could definitely tell this place was rundown just by the way torn boards and dirt littered the ground. All the garbage was lazily shoved to the side of the hallway for people to walk.

"Piper? Where did you go?" I beckoned her. I tried to keep my voice free from the embarrassment of not knowing what I was doing or where I was going. The corridors were like a maze. I forgot which hallway Piper had taken me down, so I probably seemed like some lost, confused kid roaming around.

I realized I had successfully gotten myself lost without any effort. Although, curiosity got the best of me and I went further into the depths of the never-ending corridors. It had gotten to a point where I had reached a dead end, where the warehouse mysteriously stopped. At the dead end, a door was dragging me in, stealing my focus. Alongside the door was a wide window to the view of a room. My gut began to churn, warning me to turn back, but, my feet pushed me forward. I knew I was probably lucky to get this far through the guard-free halls, but, I needed to stop. I kept my breathing steady and silent, peering slowly behind me to check on the coast. Nobody was there. I was safe, for now. I went closer to the window, finding something even more unsettling - a quarantine sign. It read, "Quarantine zone. Infectious virus. Authorized personnel only."

I felt shivers crawl up my spine. I was _definitely_ not supposed to be here. Yet, something kept drawing me there. Like, I was meant to be there. As if there was something I needed to see; something for the universe to reveal to me to let me know. I continued to reach nearer and nearer to the window, until the sight of a flashy, yellow quarantine suit of a man made my heart jump out of my body. Once I found it, I poked my head into the window a second time. His back remained turned away from me as he occupied himself with a patient on one of the many beds - hospital beds, it appeared to be. Each of the patients had an oxygen mask on their faces. They were evenly spread out from one another and had their very own heart rate machines and IV poles, connected to tiny tubes that were injected into their arms. There were many of them, however, only one of them had caught my eye. She was the one who got my attention.

It was her.


	16. If it comes back to you, it's your's

"Why did you leave me?!" I wanted to scream at her through the glass. "How could you be so stupid?! Why would you leave me?! How did you get here?! Why did you let them do this to you?!" So many questions jumbled themselves inside my head. I needed to punch something. I needed to get my anger out, so I punched my knee. If I hit anything else, I might as well let the guards know I was trespassing. I aggressively took off my hat, beginning to feel the heat of the walls, closing in, suffocating me.

Just when I thought I was getting over her, she comes back into my life. It all happened in a sudden second. My heart was pumping and thumping hard in my chest. It couldn't have been her. I must have been hallucinating. I must have been dreaming. But, the only problem was this was no dream. This was reality. It was _her_!

I peeked again, realizing it really was the girl I thought it was. My lip began to quiver as I covered it with my hands. My eyes watered, not able to look away from the truth.

My sister...Mabel.

Even from where I was, I could see her chest rise and fall, telling me she was still breathing and _alive._ She showed no signs of struggle. She slept peacefully in the room, surrounded by other strangers. It pained me to see her there. She had no right to be here, in this position. They had labeled her as _infected_. They labeled her as _sick, diseased,_ and _hopeless._ But, that wasn't true. She was my sister. She was my family. Mabel was the one to abandon me after our parents had died. I thought she was gone, too, however, she wasn't. She was the only family I had left and I didn't want to lose her again, knowing that she was okay now. I wasn't going to let her get away from me that easily another time. I was going to make things right and apologize for our fight. I was going to hold her in my arms, again. "I promise…" I muttered. "Not again."

"Dipper!" Piper's voice made me jump. I turned to see her frightened face looking at me. She constantly turned her head to be on watch for the guards and tiptoed over to me. She kneeled down to meet my face, grabbing hold of both of my shoulders. "What are you doing, here?"

"I was just-" My tears got lodged in my throat and I tried to swallow them to keep from sobbing out loud.

"We're not supposed to be down here! It's off limits!" Piper attempted to keep her hurried voice in a whisper. That's when she searched my face and knew I was holding back a crying fit. She dropped her firing eyes away from mine and loosened her grip on my arms. Before she could say anything else, a woman's voice spoke, instead. "Piper. Dipper. What in God's name, do you think you're doing?" It was Chief Vicky. She had her hands on her hips, as she always did. Her face was not formed into the smile I saw when I first came in. I couldn't help, but think what the punishment was for crossing over the private area.

"I...was looking for Piper." I said, trying to keep my voice raised and not in an ashamed mumble. "It's all my fault. I was looking for Piper." Suddenly, Piper took the blame.

"No, please. Vicky, it's my fault. Dipper didn't know any better. I should have told him not to-"

Vicky cut her off. "Woah. Calm down, kids. I'm not going to make a fuss about this. Now, Piper, you're off the hook. As for you, Dipper…"

Here it comes. I'm in trouble. Chief Vicky had waited, until Piper had completely left to finish her sentence. Her voice softened when she finally did speak up, again. "Come with me." She led me back to the window and let me look through at all the innocent survivors who slept on the hospital beds.

"What is this place? And why aren't these people with the rest of the survivors?" I asked, wanting answers so badly.

"They are immune. Their immunity will help us figure out how to cure the infected."

"Wh-how do you do it? Will they be okay?"

"The earlier the survivor was infected and the younger they are makes a huge difference. The younger the immune person is, the more easier it is for us to find the cure. The longer they've had the infection in their bloodstream, the harder it is for us to know how their body was able to fight it off. We have already gone through many surgeries for immune survivors, unfortunately, every time, we have failed. We are working on more surgeries soon. These survivors' sacrifices will all be worth it when they save the world from this viral infection."

"Wait, sacrifices?"

Chief Vicky lowered her head. "These surgeries are hard to go out and through with. We don't have much of the technology we need to help them stay alive."

But, how was my sister immune? How was that even possible? "How do you know they really are immune?" I asked.

"Usually, they don't hold onto the symptoms of the infected. They will have the bite, but, their symptoms aren't visible."

"What about...the girl?" _My sister_.

"Ah," Chief Vicky said. "Her. Yeah, I can't believe she was immune. I thought only the adults could be immune because of their strong immune system." She huffed a chuckle. "She did a great job at proving us wrong. We found her wandering around in California. She is the youngest immune person we have found so far. She's going into surgery, tonight."

I focused my eyes back on the girl, who I knew was Mabel. Though, she wasn't wearing her knitted sweater, I could still tell it was her. She had my hair and my nose. She had on a hospital gown and her long, knee-high socks.

In the cafeteria of the warehouse, I couldn't find myself to eat dinner. Everyone surrounded me, eating in the cafeteria. Zack and Cody had kept me company at the table, but, when I began playing with my food, Zack asked why I wasn't eating. "You can have it, if you want. I'm not hungry." I said, sourly, pushing the tray across the table to him. Without saying anything else, I got up and left the table. Zack took my plate and put it on the ground for Cody, who went crazy for it. Once again, half of the strangers in the cafeteria went silent and the other kids started gossiping about me. I heard my name mentioned in the crowd as I headed to the door.

"...that's the kid…"

"...Dipper...another survivor...outside…"

"...came in with Piper this morning."

"Says he's got no family, no nothin'."

"I heard...already caught trespassing…"

It seemed like my reputation for leaving a crowded room was making me become famously mysterious. They had nothing else to say about me, considering they didn't know what to make out of me. Just as the door swung shut behind me, the noise of the cafeteria started up again.

I decided the only way to relax was to finally get the dirt off of me and take a hot shower. I can't even remember the last time I had actually showered. Unfortunately for me, once I turned the shower on and got under, the dirt and grime didn't come off. Sure, they were washed away into the drain, but, it would always be on me. There was no way to get rid of this dirt I carried on me, everyday. The dirt of my dead parents still lingered on me. The dirt of the pain I felt every second was stained. I couldn't wash it off, no matter how hard I tried. The dirt of my pain I brought upon my own being was too much. It wasn't the infection that brought Hell to my door. It was me. I began to consider that maybe Mabel was right. I was the one who killed my own parents out of cold blood - not self-defense. I was the one who ran away from home to escape what I had done - not the authorities who would eventually bust down our door. I was the one who dragged Mabel into this confusion. I was the one who got her bitten and infected. I was the one who ruined my life and my sister's. I was the nuisance to everyone I knew. Worst of all, I was the shame that they lugged around.

I couldn't stop myself from yelping out loud in the empty showers. I covered my mouth to prevent any other sudden sobs from escaping out into the open. My hands wouldn't stop shaking and tears filled the corners of my eyes. The sound of my wails were silent and forced back. I didn't want anyone to hear me or else I would have to face the embarrassment. How could I turn so evil - so frowned upon? It had only been a couple of months since I've gone from careless, free, spoiled, and happy to chained-tight, blood-spattered, depressed, and traumatized. Just a few months ago, I didn't even know how to shoot a gun. Now, everything is black and white and the memories of everything before now are like photographs set to a flame.

 _How could I have possibly gone from having everything...to nothing at all?_

Turning off the shower, but, not feeling refreshed, I dressed up once more in my clothes and went to bed. I laid down on my back, looking up at the ceiling for the second time and knew the only thing that would make me happy would be Mabel. Her surgery was tonight and she had a very high chance of not making it. Now that I found my happiness, I couldn't let it go again. I needed to get her out of there.

 _But how?_

I wasn't going to sleep, until I thought of a plan. I wasn't going to sleep, until I saved her.

My family.

My sister.

My happiness.

Mabel.


	17. The runaway

My heart wouldn't quit pounding in my chest. If I was caught again, I was definitely going to end up dead. My legs felt weak and walking was a difficulty. My lungs burned and took in short, delayed breaths. That night, after everyone had fallen asleep, I packed my things back in my bag and hoped I wasn't too late to rescue my sister. I attempted to stay as quiet as I could.

The warehouse halls were absolutely, without a doubt, more terrifying at night. The breeze from the shattered windows brought in a monstrous growl and the tree branches outside stretched with short screeches. I heard their leaves sway in the summer's cool wind. I was pretty sure everyone in the camp was asleep, however, _someone_ needed to be guarding the camp, so I didn't know how much luck I had left. Only some of the building's lights struggled to keep their own lightbulbs going in the cramped, littered hallways.

I didn't stop, until I reached a quarantine sign. I poked my head through the window of the room where I found Mabel the first time. Two quarantine suited men were in the process of rolling my sister out into the hallway, which meant I needed to hide. I couldn't let them see me or I might as well get a bullet through my skull. Thinking quick, I hid behind a stack of barrels just in time. The two men pushed her through the doorway and out into the hallway. My sister hadn't even opened her eyes. She didn't move or say anything. She laid on the bed, silent.

I tiptoed carefully to catch up with them. I peered around the corner they had just turned and followed. I made a brief halt at a girl's hushed voice behind me. "Dipper!" It was Piper.

Both frustrated and startled, I whispered back. "Piper?"

"Dipper, what are you doing?"

"How did you - you know what? Just forget it. Leave me alone."

"No, you know we're not supposed to be here. What is your deal?"

"Look, okay?" I began, peeking around the corner quickly to make sure I don't lose Mabel and the two men. "I have a perfectly good explanation."

Piper rolled her eyes and gave me a raised eyebrow. "Well, I'd like to hear it."

"But, I'm gonna need your help." Now, I knew Piper was actually committed to listening to me. She lifted both of her eyebrows and relaxed her frustrated face. "I don't have much time to explain. We have to hurry if we want to catch up to them."

"Them?" She turned her head to the hallway where the men with Mabel had just went down.

"We have to save my sister. She's still alive, but, not for long. _Please_ , Piper. You _need_ to help me. I can't lose her again."

Piper looked shocked. She opened her mouth to talk before closing it again. Then, she said, "This is insane!"

"Tell me something I don't know." I said, staying calm and continuing down the halls of the warehouse. Piper made a slight hesitation before she tagged along. "You're gonna get yourself killed!" She mumbled.

"I have to at least try. My sister needs me. And I need her. If I don't go after her now, I'll never forgive myself."

"Still," She began. "This is too risky. I can't let you go through with this."

I swiftly spun around and stopped dead in my trails. I stared up at Piper with smoldering eyes and said, "This is my _sister_. She's the only family I have left and if you think you can stop me that easily, than watch me fight with my own life for her's."

"Dipper…" She tried to reach her hand out to me, but I yanked my shoulder away.

"Piper, I need to make things right. This is my chance. But, I can't do this alone. Look, remember that time you said...that you couldn't save your family and that's why you wanted to save me?" Piper nodded. "Well...you saved me." I saw her eyes sparkle when I said it. A small, yet, grateful smile blossomed on her face. Then, I asked her, "Can you save my sister, now?"

Piper and I went on as a team. If it wasn't for the tiny screech of the wheels on the hospital bed, I would have lost them for good. Every corner that they turned, Piper and I were right behind their heels, sneakily peeking around the halls to make sure we could go on. At last, they had reached another door that required a card to pass through.

"Now's our chance." I whispered to Piper. "Follow my lead." I pulled my gun out of my vest. Despite it being empty of bullets, I planned on, at least, giving the guards a good scare. "Still got your pocketknife?" I said.

Piper reached into her boot and showed it to me. "Yeah. Never leave without it. Plus, I thought you might be in trouble so…" She shrugged, not bothering to finish her sentence.

"Ready?"

"Nope."

"Me neither. Let's go." I stepped out from my safe spot and made myself visible to the men. "Don't open that door." I said as loud and clear as day. I held my gun high and proud as the guards looked at me and back at each other, simultaneously. "Step away from the girl or I _will_ shoot." I wasn't so sure if what I had said was true, however my tone of voice was rough and serious. Piper came in next. She switched out her blade and pointed it at one of their necks.

The man close to Piper raised his hands to try to reason. "Kids, drop your weapons. We don't want any trouble."

Piper lunged herself forward at the man who had just spoken and raised her knife in the air. The blade impelled him in the chest and he let out a groan. Surprised by her sudden actions, the other man was ready to take Piper down to the ground. I pressed the front of my black, hard gun on his stomach and yelled. "Make another move and I will pull this trigger. I'll blow a bullet right through your heart."

As I kept the gun held up to him, Piper took care of my sister. I heard her talk to Mabel with a soft, caring voice while she got her out of her hospital bed prison. She took off her anesthesia mask and took out the needle in her forearm. I could see from where I stood that they had wrapped Mabel's bitten arm with bandages. "Hey, sweetie." She muttered, sounding like a mother to Mabel. "It's okay. You're gonna be okay. Your brother is gonna take good care of you."

That's when I heard heavy and fast footsteps of men marching our way. "Hey! What's going on over there?" One man asked, loudly.

"Piper, we gotta go - right now!" I turned to Piper and she was in a hurry to pick up my sister out of the bed.

"Go!" She said, raising her voice. "We'll be right behind you!"

I didn't think twice about what she ordered. I dashed down the hall, knowing the guards would come from where Piper and I had just come. We had no choice but to run deeper down to the other side of warehouse. With every heart-thumping second that went by, I would make sure Piper was right behind me. She would always be there.

We finally reached a doorway that led to two sets of stairs on each side. We turned and took the stairs on the left. Though Piper's grip on Mabel in her arms was getting loose, she didn't fail to carry her. We could hear the voices that were gaining on us. At any second, I felt as if I was about to be yanked by the back of my shirt. To not face this fate, I kept my legs moving with incredible speed. I did stumble and felt as if I was going to fall sometimes, but that didn't stop me from getting myself going again.

"We have a containment breach! They're headed to the gates! Don't let them escape! I repeat: Don't let them escape! Send backup! Come in, backup!"

It wasn't until the sound of the awakening shotguns that I actually understood fear. I didn't want to die. So, I kept moving, faster and faster. They were firing their guns - and we were their target. "Watch it!" One of them shouted. "We don't want to shoot the patient!" I made a brief peer behind me to discover, at least, a dozen guards were there. I was screwed. They were a bit too close for comfort and seemed to be picking up speed.

What I didn't expect to see, however, was a miracle. A bushy and golden figure of a dog came barreling from behind. Sensing Piper and I were in danger, Cody was there. He growled and aggressively barked at the guards, trying to distract them. He chased after the guards' legs, until he dug his sharp teeth into one of their legs. The guard fell back into the cement wall, yelling. "Damn dog!"

I kept going, not planning on turning back to waste my precious time. At last, Piper and I had made it past all the gunshots and forcefully pulled the slider double doors to the outside open. I felt my chest rise and deeply exhale the crisp, early, morning air.

"Piper!" I yelled. "We're almost th-" The ear-ringing noise of a gunshot and Piper's blood-chilling yelp cut me off. I spun around and found Piper, who dropped to her knees. She tried her best to not drop Mabel and keep her in her arms. Piper was shot in her leg, bad. Her face showed nothing, but defeat and gut-wrenching pain. That was the first time I had heard Piper scream out of pain. She clenched her teeth together hard and had a high-pitched squeal when she cried. It was heart-breaking, to say the least.

"Nonono! Piper! Piper! C'mon! Get up! We need to go! We're almost there!" I ran to her and tugged at her arm with all the strength I had in me. Piper didn't even budge. She couldn't even open her eyes to look at me. The pain was just too much for her.

The guards were right at our tails and we needed to keep moving. Though the answer for me was clear, I couldn't accept it. I didn't want to leave Piper here. I wanted her to run away with me. But, being in the harsh world that I live in, I knew that wasn't possible. Though it didn't make a difference how bad I wanted something, the painful reality was that, sometimes, things don't go the way you want them to.

"Take Mabel!" Piper said with all the strength she had. Every word was practically a strain for her to get out. "I can't walk! You need to take Mabel and run!"

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

"Yes...you are!" Piper lifted Mabel into my arms and I took her. Mabel's weight was crushing and difficult to carry. Trying to carry her was like trying to carry a bag full of bowling balls. I stared down at Piper before she demanded another order. "What the hell are you waiting for?! Run! Go away! Run! Don't worry about me!"

With that, I ran. I ran through the open gates, before the guards even had enough time to close them. I ran into the thick, dense woods, feeling thorns tear at my ankles. Though, I kept going. Carrying Mabel and running at the same time was exhausting, yet I didn't stop. I kept going.

I didn't even get another glance of Piper as I did. She was gone. I left her. But, she saved me. She saved Mabel. Unfortunately, I never saw Piper again. At least she gave me my family back. My sister. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Because Mabel was who I really needed. And thanks to Piper, I had her. I had her back. She was in my arms. She was with me. She was safe now.


	18. All that matters

I combed my fingers through her silly tangles of hair as she slept off the rest of the anesthesia. I had constantly ran for about a half an hour, until I finally collapsed and couldn't take Mabel's crushing weight anymore. My legs and arms had no muscle strength left. I stared up at the trees above us. They seemed to brush up against each other with their leaves and whisper to one another. The sun was just making its way along the horizon. The early birds were just waking up, too.

It wasn't long, however, until the peace was disturbed by the sound of footsteps crunching and swishing through the forest brush. It seemed to be getting more uncomfortably closer, drawing nearer and nearer with every step. Instinctively, I reached for my gun and pointed it out, waiting for another noise. My sister laid still, curled up on my lap. I held her closer to me so I knew she was protected. This would be the last time I ever lose her again.

The sound of the heavy feet coming my way belonged to a man. He came dressed as one of the warehouse camp guards and approached me with a gentle manner. As I held the gun up to him, I kept my eyes calm, meanwhile his blue sea eyes showed the complete opposite. "Please," he begged with his hands up in surrender. "Don't shoot. I-I just want to talk. I came with no weapons." The man appeared to be in his late twenties and had golden locks for hair. Only a small amount of his cheeks had pimples. His nose and ears stuck out to me the most because of their abnormally wide size.

"It's about the girl." His eyes moved down to Mabel and back to me while he talked. "She's...important to us."

I huffed a chuckle and answered back with the first thing that came to mind. "Funny. She's important to me, too."

The guard tried again. "Look, kid. You don't understand. This girl - She can save us all."

I focused on the gun that I held up to his head. Then, I took it and pointed it at the innocent girl in my lap. Just around the same time I did so, I heard her mutter my name.

"Dipper?"

I ignored her, though her raspy and fatigue voice made my heart scream with joy and cry and laugh all at once. I felt the water from my eyes show itself to the world and knew I was crying right in front of the fairly built and broad guard. Then, with a weak voice, I spat out. "Leave now...or I'll shoot!"

"Hey, kid-" the guard responded with an urgent, strict tone. I cut him off.

"Leave now! Or I'll shoot a bullet right through her head!" The tears were too much for me to handle. I could feel the lump in my throat getting bolder and wider. Now Mabel had opened her eyes. She squirmed around and wanted to look up at me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in, briefly. I hoped Mabel stayed where she was and didn't say another word. I just needed a little more time.

The guard froze, observing Mabel as she woke up. It took him a moment or two until he said at last, "You wouldn't do it."

"Really?" To intimidate him more, I clicked the gun's barrel back, though it was completely empty from its bullets. Mabel went stiff in my lap and I could tell by her faint, held-back whine that she was scared out of her mind.

It took him many seconds of hesitation until he spoke up once more. "Okay, okay! I'll leave! I believe you." And just like that, he was gone, marching back from where he had come. When I was positive he was never to return, I let myself sob as I disregarded the gun from my sister's head. I couldn't hold back the urge to hug Mabel tight in my arms. Although, by the way I had suddenly hugged her after making her think I was going to shoot her, she struggled to get away from me. She pushed me away aggressively with both arms and crawled away. Her actions made my heart sink. I just wanted to hold her in my arms and never let her go. Gosh, I missed her more than she probably knows.

Her face was puffy and red. Her eyes were a little bloodshot and her bottom lip quivered. "Mabel…" Her name rolled off my tongue with a dry, bland taste. I can't recall the last time I've ever said her name before. Now, saying her name was like finally waking up from a never-ending nightmare.

"What is wrong with you?!" She barked at me with her voice still recovering from a long sleep. I opened my mouth to speak, only to be silenced by her again. "I thought you were actually going to shoot me!"

"Mabel, I wouldn't do that! You're my sister!"

"What happened? Where are we?" She said, immediately changing the subject. Her eyes dropped down to realize that she was wearing a hospital gown and no shoes.

"I saved you." I told her with a soft voice.

"Saved me?" She questioned me, giving me a raised eyebrow.

"Back at the camp. They said you were sick."

"Did you get my message?" She asked.

I returned the question with a follow-up question. "Message?"

That's when she took my bag that was leaning up against a nearby tree and pulled out the walkie-talkie. She held it up to me and I couldn't stop my face from blossoming into a smile. I nodded.

"How did you find me?" Mabel asked.

I let out a bittersweet chuckle and turned my attention to making circular with my finger motions in the dirt ground. "Well, it's a bit complicated, actua-"

She interrupted me by returning my hug with a hug, too. She started crying onto my shoulder and I went mute. I hesitated to embrace her hug, but finally wrapped my arms around her. I let her cry and soothed her with a back rub. With her sobs, came more of mine.

After all of this time, this was what I really needed. I needed my sister back. I was just kidding myself that I was okay. I wasn't okay...because I needed her back. Just when I thought I was over her, my psych proved me wrong. Everything hurt without Mabel. Sleeping, walking, breathing, living - it all hurt. All the tears that I had held back from the days she was gone were pouring out. "Where were you when I needed you more than ever, Mabel? Why did you leave me?"

Mabel hushed me and laughed. "It's okay, Dip. I'm here, now."


	19. The Mystery Shack

We finally were able to settle down and smile for once. Having Mabel back was just the beginning. What I didn't know was the future was only going to get better from there. But, hey. I'm just getting ahead of myself.

I told my story to my sister and got to see her smile and braces again. Sure, she was still drying her tears, but she was listening and nodding. We trudged out of the woods together with a more kick in our step. I gave Mabel my shoes to wear since she didn't have her own. Of course, then, I was the one walking in just my socks. The stories we told each other along the way were patching up the lengthy gap of our past separation. Beyond the trees was the birds flying freely above. Above the birds, the sky and the shining sun that brought peace to my mind. For once, I took a deep, relieving, fresh breath of the smell of the summer air.

Mabel said that, back at the camp, she was brought into the quarantine room, without knowing what was happening. She said that they gained her trust by showing her hospitality, giving her food, the company of the friendly survivors, and letting her have nice, hot showers. Then, one night, she was lead into the other side of the warehouse to be put on anesthesia. She told me it wasn't until now that she finally woke up.

There was a long pause before she asked me once more. "Hey, Dip. You believe in miracles?"

I looked up at her halfway and grinned. "Well, I believe it's a miracle we made it this far."

"Oh," Mabel chartled. "That line again!" I chuckled and laughed with all my heart as she said, "No, but, seriously. Do you?"

"Absolutely." And that was the truth.

"Oh, and thanks for saving me...if you call 'saving' me almost blowing out my brain's guts."

"Yeah, sorry about that." I mumbled. Then, I lightened the mood. "But, I wasn't _actually_ going to shoot you. I mean, if I really meant to do it, wouldn't the gun be loaded?" I took out the gun from my vest and pulled back the barrel to prove it to her. "See?" I said with confidence as I pulled the trigger to a nonspecific target in front of us. Mabel gasped, expecting to hear a bang. She turned away, covered her ears, shut her eyes tight, and prepared for the worst. The gun clicked and no bang was heard. Mabel turned back to me and grumbled, punching me in the shoulder. "Hey!" I giggled.

"Dummy!" She teased, sticking her tongue out at me. I flinched back with a laugh. It wasn't until then that I took out the gummy koalas from my bag to give to Mabel. "I believe these belong to you." I told her.

She looked at me with astonishment before smiling and taking them. I could tell she was struggling to find the words to say, so I spoke for her. "Go ahead. They're all your's."

We went on, avoiding thorns and poison ivy. Though we didn't know where we were headed, it didn't seem to matter because we had each other. After a couple more steps, I could begin to make out a house. It stood right in the center of the woods with weak strength as if it would all collapse at any moment.

When we got closer, I realized how much of a dump the place was. The sign that was somehow resting on the roof with stability read, "Mystery hack", though the shadow of where the "S" used to be was still visible. Next to the house was a totem pole with many disturbing and unsettling creature-like faces stacked on top of one another. It seemed that question marks and dollar signs were at every angle I turned. There was a worn out, torn, faded yellow couch on the front porch as well.

I may have stopped at the end of the forest line, but my sister kept going with a running pace. She smiled and turned back to me. "Let's go!"

"Wha-hey! Mabel, wait!" I chased after her like she was a runaway puppy. She grinded to a stop and looked up at the house in a daze. She remained a foot away from taking the first step on the porch. I could see that the front door had been left open. Mabel turned to face me and I saw uncertainty in the way she did so. I kept my arm stretched out in front of her to let her know to stay behind me. I put my finger to my mouth, signaling her to stay quiet and I took out my gun.

With the first step I took on the stairs of the porch, the old house creeked. I startled myself before recovering and having the courage to actually make it to the front door. "Okay." I talked to myself under my breath. "Here goes nothing."


	20. Intruders

"Hello?" My sister yelled to the empty living room, startling me. I smacked her mouth shut with my hand and froze, hoping Mabel's noise wouldn't attract anyone. After a long, terrifying minute, Mabel began to wet the palm of my hand with her damp and slimy tongue. I flinched back and retreated my hand. Wiping her saliva on my shirt, I let out a grunt of disgust. "Ew, Mabel!" I said in a loud whisper. As I continued to rub off the access slime on my hand, I then told her, "I can't say that I didn't miss that, though."

To my surprise, no one seemed to be home. It looked like we were in the clear. The house was split into sections. The kitchen, when entering through the front door, was on the left of the staircase. In between the both, was the living room, which had the most ancient television I had ever seen, antennas and all. Parallel to the TV was a worn, faded, yellow, love seat couch that appeared to belong to the rest of the collection of the couch on the porch to the other entrance of the house. Next to the couch, a filthy, neglected fish tank and - what seemed to be - a gigantic skull head of an odd creature that was once used as a side table to a bunch of Pit Cola soda cans. What really caught my attention was the closed door next to the staircase with a sign saying, "Employees Only".

As I kept my gun up, I told Mabel not to go far just in case someone was actually in the house. Along the way to the door, I had almost forgot to whisper to Mabel to "Keep it down." She gave me a smile and thumbs up in return.

I tried to get my heart to stop thumping and my breath to steady and be silent. I didn't know for sure if anyone was here, but I couldn't help feeling like someone was. Still, I felt the need to check the corridors to confirm my curiosity. Just like the exterior of the house, the interior had peeling, stained wallpaper and other features that made it look neglected and not in its best condition. This house obviously hadn't been taken care of - even way before the apocalypse. I continued on until the door to - what looked like - an abandoned gift shop. It was difficult to know for sure what some of the items in the shop were because of the darkness and my eyes couldn't adjust. The windows, from what I could make out, were boarded up multiple times so that it blocked much of the outside world from being welcomed in. So, without the natural light of the setting sun along the landscape, the house was plunged into the darkness. It didn't help to know that a bunch of taxidermy animal eyes were in the room, practically watching me from the walls above.

The table I had bumped into gave me a jump scaring fright. To catch myself, I reached for the surface of the wooden desk and tried to silence my breath, from which had only gotten louder. It had become so loud and heavy, in fact, that I was worried I might attract someone or something that was already living here. If anyone was here, I would have definitely caused a frightening disturbance. I waited anxiously until my lungs relaxed and my heart rate slowed to keep moving around the room.

Despite the animals corpses that were glued to different animals, there were other things in the shop, too. At one point, I found a row of hats - hats with the decoration of a pine tree on the front. Though, because of the dark, I couldn't tell what colors the hat was. I assumed it must have been white with a dark blue color. Replacing my old cap with the new pine tree one, I realized the new cap was a much more comfortable fit, considering my old one was getting too small to even fit me anymore. "Hm, perfect."

My sister's terrified call could have been heard from the outside of the house as well. I could tell by they way she attempted to sound calm that she didn't want to scare me. Unfortunately, I was. Her voice may have held a composed state, it was also mixed in with fear. "Dipper?" She called. "Dipper?"

Along with her own voice, was an old man's. He had a muffled vocabulary from where I stood in the house, yet, startling. "Mabel? Hang on! I'm coming!"

"Please." I could hear my sister trying to reason with someone. My suspicions were confirmed when a man's raspy voice spoke up, loud and clear.

"I said, 'get out', kid! You could be infected!"

"B-but, I'm not!" I overheard her lie.

"Go on!" The man's voice continued with anger. "Get outta here! You'll attract them!"

"Please, I just need somewhere to stay!" Her raised voice whined.

Staying hidden behind the doorframe as I came closer in the hall, I listened in. "Kid, don't give me a reason to do this!" That's when I heard the sound of the shotgun being clicked back and an increasing tone of the gun being fired up. My heart jumped and I spun into view from behind the doorway. I clicked back my own barrel of my handheld gun and raised it into the air.

The man standing in front of me was old and had grey hair and a lighter grey for his sideburns. He wore a faded grey sweater with a shredded scarf and a dark black, clearly torn to shreds trenchcoat. In his hands, appeared to be a black, slender futuristic-like shotgun that was aimed at Mabel's forehead. Blue lights illuminated off of the gun as if to be some sort of decoration with no real value, though I could have been wrong. Then, I gazed at his facial features. Behind his glasses were his eyes, hard and cold. Both his nose and ears had an abnormally round and wide size and he only froze when he found my gun pointed at him.

"You shoot her, I'll shoot you." I informed him. I surprised myself and found no hesitation or fear in the way I spoke. My voice was confident and strong. He turned to me now, his eyes holding shock. Then, they calmed before he said, "Not if I shoot you first."

"No, stop!" A third voice intruded. From behind the man with the grey hair was someone who was a striking resemblance to him. Except, he wore a slick suit with matching dress pants and white button up shirt. Hanging from his neck was a red, one-tied tie. Just like the man in front of him, he wore square-shaped glasses. "Ford, have you completely lost it?" He said. "They're just kids!"

"I don't care who they are. They are trespassing." The man who I know was now named Ford said, not surrendering to his gun.

"Trespassing." The other man huffed a laugh. "That's a good one." He chortled in his raspy, sarcastic voice. "Now, stop playing games, will ya'?" This time, Ford lowered his gun and I did the same.

"Wow." The old man began with a breathtaking tone. He approached Mabel and I with a slow pace and then got down on one knee, a couple of feet away from us. He looked at me and back at Mabel and continued to do so. "How did you kiddos make it this far?"

"Well, the motto, 'trust no one' comes in handy." I said with a tiny chuckle.

The man in the suit got up and straightened out his back and laughed. "Come on in. I have just the place for you two." He led us up the creaky, light stairs to the attic. Along the way, I turned quickly to witness Ford's pokerface. He was probably thrown off guard at the other man's hospitality to let more people into the house. I could tell he was in total surprise. Honestly, it was kind of amusing.

"What's your name, sweetie?" the man asked my sister with the most caring voice that reminded me of my dad.

"I'm Mabel." She began. Before I could say anything, Mabel beat me to it. "And that's my brother, Dipper." She seemed comfortable talking to the man who was a complete stranger.

Once up the stairs and in the attic, he showed us the single room with two beds already set up. Mabel ran past him and hopped into the bed on the right and claimed it as her own. As for me, I casually stuck my hands in my pockets and walked over to the bed to my left, across from Mabel's. When I turned back to the man, who hadn't left the doorway of the room, I found Ford by his side, as well.

The man in the suit took his hand and massaged his forehead before sliding his hand through his hair and drooping it to the back of his neck and relaxed it. "This room was supposed to be for my nephew and niece when they came over this summer, but…" He sighed heavily and I could have sworn I saw his lip quiver. "I just wish I at least got to meet them. Even for a single second, y'know?"

Immediately, he changed his mood and gave us a bittersweet smile. "That hat looks nice on you, kid." He said, our eyes meeting. I had completely forgotten that I was wearing it.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that. You can have it back, if you -" He cut me off.

"No, no. Keep it. It's all your's."

"Really? Thanks… I guess."

"Oh, I almost forgot. I have some extra blankets for you guys. I'll be right back." He said, leaving us with Ford. I saw him give us an apologetic smile and say, "Sorry about what happened down there. But, if my brother wants you to stay, I guess it's fine with me, too."

I heard Mabel let out a giggle which made me laugh too and so did Ford. "Well, I forgive you." Mabel claimed.

Ford's 'brother' came back with an arm full of blankets and dropped them on our beds. "Here we go." He said, taking two blankets from the pile and giving them to Mabel. "The pink one used to be Ford's." He chortled, attempting to make us laugh, which we did. Even Ford, who was leaning up against the door frame, chuckled.

Then, he came over to me with the other blankets, even tucking me in. "You kiddos stay warm tonight, okay?" He reassured us. He reached down and pulled off my hat and ruffled my hair.

Ford's brother was about to exit the room when my sister sprung up in the bed and let the sheets fall down to her waist. "Wait!" She exclaimed. "I can't sleep."

"What's the matter?"

"Are we gonna be safe up here? I mean...with all the people out there who are...sick." Though, it would have been easier for Mabel to say 'zombies', she didn't dare say it.

"Hey, look. Mabel, was it? I assure you, you are perfectly safe with us. You're far up in the shack." He paused before going on. But, first, he took my gun that I had placed on the table between Mabel and I.

"Hey, what are you-?"

"You're safe now." He repeated. Then, he left. But not before he told us, "Need anything, just call."

Feeling awkwardly uncomfortable, I tucked into the blankets I was given. The musty smell of the shack was highly concentrated on them. I could smell it. I stared over at my sister and she did the same back.

"I like him." She whispered with a teeny smile poking out from her mouth.

"But, you can't tell them about it."

"What do you mean? About what?"

"The bite." I mumbled, not intending on Ford or his brother overhearing. "They wouldn't know what to think. They'd think you were sick. You can't let them know."

"But, they seem pretty understanding, don't you think?"

"Mabel, that's not the point!" I accidentally raised my voice above a whisper and startled myself. Recovering from the scare, I whispered back again. "They'll _kill_ you, thinking you were sick. They wouldn't understand that you may be...immune."

"Ugh!" She moaned, throwing her hands in the air in aggravation. "Can you just stop that?!"

"Stop what? I'm trying to warn you!"

"You're doing it all over again! You're _baby-ing_ me! I can handle myself! Just leave me alone, Dipper!" She raised her voice a little too loud that I was anxious Ford and his brother would come back in. She turned her head until she was staring up at the attic ceiling. "Please, can you just let me be?" She asked me.

"Fine." I told her. "G'night, Mabel."

After a lengthy moment, she took off her hospital gown to reveal her purple skirt and hot pink T-shirt underneath and tucked the gown under her bed. I thought I might have kept her worrying, until her voice came back to me. "G'night, Dipper."


	21. The unknown

It's been weeks since Mabel and I came to the Mystery Shack, yet I still have my suspicions about Ford and his brother, Stanley - although, he prefers to go by "Stan". I try my best to stay away from them, but my sister has no trouble making herself at home. She would spend every minute with them, talking about the times before the apocalypse. With all the time left in the world to spare, Ford and Stan would listen. When the two old men would sit side by side, they were complete parallels. I remember when Mabel asked them, too.

"Are you guys _twins_?"

Stan and Ford exchanged amused faces and gave out a small laugh. Mabel was right, though. They _were_ twins, it turns out. Though, they might have been twins _physically_ , they were definitely not twins _mentally_. In fact, they were very different after watching their actions and hearing them talk individually.

I soon picked up that Ford was the one who knew the most about how the virus affects its host and almost always carried his shotgun around as if it was his own child. He never let go of it. Maybe he was worried that if he _did_ , a zombie would bust through the door at that moment, when he needed it. Ford was the 'smart' brother, if you will. His vocabulary was strong and he used words that made him sound, well, like a genius. I guess he thinks he's conceited or something. He and Stan never got along, really. It was mostly because Ford never knew how to shut up and not act so wise.

As for Stan, he had my sister's humor in a way. He looked after us, even if I didn't appreciate it. To be honest, I wish I found a different shack in the woods, one with no one in it. I wish Stan and Ford didn't fight in the middle of the night, even if it _is_ about the most ridiculous thing like keeping watch for zombies.

The first night I came here was the first time I ever heard them argue. Their loud mumbling voices woke me. Mabel - lucky for her - was fast asleep in the separate bed across from me. Feeling awkward to eavesdrop on two strangers, I kept my footsteps silent to not make the floor creak under my feet. To my surprise, the floor held my weight with no sudden noises. As I got closer, the voices got more clearer.

"Stanley, we don't have the luxury for two children in the shack! We hardly have enough food!" From behind the staircase, I heaved in with heavy, yet silent, breaths, afraid that if I breathed too loudly they would spot me.

"No! I'm not letting those kids leave! They don't deserve to be tossed back out there!" He paused, as if to think before continuing. "I'd stop eating if it means they get to have a proper meal for once!"

My head dropped and my eyes fell to my feet. That's when Ford struck back. "You just met them! I don't care how they got here or made it this far, I want them out!"

"Ford-"

"They can stay for the night, but that's it! By tomorrow morning, I want them gone."

Stan shook his head with anger. He cared to disagree. "Why do you have to be so heartless? They're staying _here_ and that's it!"

"Look. I know as much as you wish for them to stay with us, I feel I just can't trust them."

"What are you saying?" I heard Stan's heartbroken voice ask. "They're just kids."

"I don't trust them!" Ford repeated. "Did you even notice the girl's clothes? I believe they must have more to their story than just wandering in the woods and happening upon the shack." Stan bowed his head to stare at the wooden floor. I think he was maybe accepting the possibility that Ford was right. "Stanley," He began again a sincere tone. "I think that girl is infected."

At that second, I felt my heart throb with adrenaline. I took a step back, which I realized was a rookie mistake. I tripped and went soaring backwards, making me gasp. I took down a bucket and a broom on the way as well, causing more commotion. Peeking my head halfway through to see downstairs, I discovered two pairs of wide eyes staring at me. All I could do was be humored by their similarly stunned expressions. With a shaky laugh, I added a shy smile and small wave.

"What are you doing awake?" Stan asked casually.

"Uh, I…" Stuttering to find an excuse - I bet they were onto me even before I began talking. As if tumbling over a bucket and broom was enough to give them the hint that I was eavesdropping. "I just wanted some water." Which I wasn't wrong actually. My tongue was so dried up that it had gotten to the point where I thought it was so brittle, it would break off into pieces. "Does your sink still work?" I asked.

As Stan rushed to my aid and got me a glass of water, Ford remained glued to the floor where he stood. To keep myself busy and not make eye contact with his glare, I folded my hands, rested them on my stomach, and tapped my thumbs together. "You heard everything, didn't you?" He said in a mumble.

"W-what?" I lamely began. "I just... didn't hear anything, really. I was just...thirsty." The baffled look on his face made my skin crawl and sweat escape. He could probably tell I was babbling. If he did, however, he definitely didn't question me again.

Stan met me at the top of the stairs and handed me my cup. After that, he followed me to the attic. Mabel was still tucked in, sleeping on her right side and facing the side of my bed. After giving me a "goodnight" and ruffling my hair, Stan approached my sister. I watched with a careful eye. He rested his hand on the edge of her mattress, staring down at her. Mabel's bandaged arm was not tucked in with the rest of her body and I almost panicked. Though I know I can't help it, Mabel didn't hide it.

Stan let out a saddened sigh and I knew he felt sympathy for my sister. But how could he? Despite the fact he only just met us and now has a sudden caring and love for us. I've never seen this stranger before in my life, yet he still treated us as if he were his own family.

"You know, don't you?" I asked, though I knew it was quite obvious that Stan got the realization. He knew that Mabel was infected, but didn't care. He still wanted us to stay.

"Of course I do. But, that's not gonna change anything." He muttered. Then, he shook his head and turned away to the door. "Goodnight, kiddo."


	22. Truth be told

A tight shake on my shoulder woke me up. I was many things when I came back to consciousness - sweaty, shaky, unable to breathe. I hadn't realized what I was doing, but I could sense my damp, puffy cheeks and my body had enough sweat to make me feel like I was in a sauna. I turned to meet pairs of eyes watching me. Mabel's eyes.

"What?" I snapped at her. My voice came out breathy and raspy.

"Uh," She began. "Y-you were yelling and kicking. I think you were having a bad dream. So I woke you up."

Of course, Mabel was right, I didn't tell her so. Why did she have to nose around in my business?

Mabel approached me with caution, scooching closer to me. "Are you okay?" She tried to land her careful hand on my shoulder but I shoved it away as if her hand was on fire.

"Leave me alone!" I spat in her face with no patience. I was tired of her getting in my way. She treated me like I wasn't okay. If anything, I _was_ okay - great, actually. I didn't need her pity.

For some strange reason, I kept crying. But I _was_ okay - really, I _was_! "What's the matter? You can tell me. It's okay." There was that word again. _Okay._ "Dipper?" She proceeded to make it worse, pushing the knife deeper in my chest.

"Just go away!" I turned back in my sister's face as if to pull out the dagger. "I don't need you! So just go away!"

The nightmare's images were still fresh in my mind, yet to fade away. Not now, no. They stayed with me to haunt me. My mom's hair was a messy nest, getting clumped in her own inside's liquids. My dad, looking seemingly like those funny chalk outlined bodies in those crime scene movies. The bottom of my socks were soiled in a dark red that I had never seen so much of in my life. I could practically swim in it.

My hands, unclenching, letting the butcher knife fall with a single clatter. Mabel was there by my side. Her eyes watered and she was yelling with loud anger. She could barely stand and look down. She ran to the bathroom and I could hear her throwing up, getting rid of her dinner. Between her choking and suffocating sobs, she would yelp out about the two of the dead people on our kitchen tiles.

Staring down at my hands now, I couldn't help but believe it was true. I couldn't believe what I did with my own hands. I stared at them as if I traded hands with a serial killer. I tightened them, clenching my fists together.

"Dipper, please! I'm just trying to help."

"I'm fine, Mabel. Go away." I cried, shoving my hands away.

My temper had flared and Mabel was working against it. If she didn't walk away sooner or later, I would have broken into tears from frustration.

Mabel must have been sitting by my bed for ten minutes before tucking herself back into her own bed. I laid there, facing the wall and with my back towards my sister.

Silence.


	23. Waddles

My shaky breath, alongside with the grandfather clock by the staircase, was all that was heard. I didn't get any sleep last night. All I could do was lay down on my back and stare up at the ceiling. I hadn't even gotten out of bed. Lucky for Mabel, she had enough energy to make it all the way downstairs unlike me.

I kept my knees close to my chest and wrapped them with my arms so tight that I was squeezing myself. I curled up and turned on my side, not wanting to even move anymore.

Heck, it was even a massive battle to lift my head off of the pillow this morning. I couldn't tell if I was still exhausted or my lack of carelessness to be energetic but I couldn't do _anything._ Trying to brush off the feeling of high sensitivity was like trying to forget about the nightmare. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't do anything.

The demons at my ankles were getting more and more difficult to ignore. They would claw and cling to me with their nails deep in my skin, injecting me with their poisonous venom. With them hanging onto me like parasites, I could hardly walk. It was their screams that made me vulnerable to feeling like this everyday. Maybe one day I'll finally shut them up.

For the whole day, Ford had neglected me. It was Stan that was hard to shake off. He wouldn't leave my side. He smothered me, giving me blankets and letting me rest on the couch with a collection of dusty and old comics he used to read as a kid. Hardly anything interesting happens around here so the highlight of my day was getting a bunch of dumb comics to read.

The only thing that proved me wrong was when I heard a ruckus from the gift shop's door. Getting up and leaving the comfort of the couch, I decided to investigate for myself. Surprisingly, I wasn't the only one to hear it. Ford had already reloaded his shotgun with a strong two clicks. Stan and Ford stood in front of the front door to the gift shop, wondering what was on the other side.

It sounded as if something was scratching at the door nonstop. The noise of squealing was muffled from the porch.

"What's going on?" My sister questioned from by my side.

"It can't be an infected person. It sounds too frantic." Ford claimed. By the looks of it, he was eager to shoot something down. "Open the door." He ordered to his brother, Stan. He motioned with his gun to Stan and then the door. Stan did as Ford had instructed. Unlatching off all of the nailed boards, he paused before opening the door.

When he finally brought up the courage to do so, a filthy pink blob came waddling in frightfully. Its four feet clattered on the wooden floor with strength as it flew past all of us and headed to the tight corner of the room. It didn't stop squealing until it had reached a safe spot, huddling into the corner with fear still shaking in its own body.

"Oh my gosh, Dipper!" Mabel exclaimed with hushed excitement, careful not to scare it. "It's a pig!"

"Oh, great. Just what we need." Stan began with sarcasm. "A pig."

Mabel was already attempting to approach the pig with a gentle hand reached out toward it. She sat next to the frightened farm animal and squatted. "It's okay." She reassured it with a soothing tone of voice. "C'mere."

It wasn't long until she earned the pig's trust. The fat pink plump blob waddled over to her and sat in front of her. She let out a slight screech of joy and picked him up. "Did you see the way he waddled?!" She wailed.

It was then that she decided to name the pig Waddles.


End file.
